The Impact of Television on Very Young Children

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AbstractThe Impact of Television on Very Young ChildrenDaniel R. Anderson Little is known about the impact of television on children younger than three years. Nevertheless, field studies indicate that exposure to television is associated with slower language and cognitive development. This research considers the impact of two types of television to which very young children are exposed. The first type is television as background, watched by others, to which the child pays little active attention. The second type is television as foreground specifically designed for very young children and to which they actively attend. The first two studies test the hypothesis that background television disrupts toy play and parent-child social interactions. If the hypothesis is correct, background television reduces the quality of these activities essential for healthy cognitive and social development. In the first study very young children's toy play is observed in the presence of a television program for adults, a television program for older children, and with no television. If background television disrupts play, it is expected that there will be systematic differences in both qualitative and quantitative aspects of toy play. In the second study parent-child interactions are observed in the presence of a television program for adults and with no television. If background television disrupts parent-child interactions, both qualitative and quantitative differences in parent-child interactions will be found. Increasingly, television programs are being developed specifically for very young children. There has been no firm determination as to when very young children begin to comprehend such programs. The third study is designed to assess the age at which very young children discriminate comprehensible and incomprehensible versions of Teletubbies. The fourth study assesses whether Teletubbies influences the quality of toy play subsequent to viewing. The research will provide significant new information relevant to the current debate concerning the impact of electronic media on very young children. Specifically, the research will indicate whether background television disrupts very young children's cognitive and social behaviors. Additionally, the research will provide an initial determination of the earliest age at which conventional television can be plausibly educational, as well as whether play behavior is stimulated or otherwise influenced by a prominent television program specifically designed for very young children. The research will also cast light on the impact of two future trends in media. One trend, the advent of high-definition and broadband television, will provide programming that is more salient as a background influence in young children's environments. The second trend is that, with the economic success of Teletubbies, other programs for very young children will soon follow. These studies will provide basic observations essential to evaluating the impact of television on very young children now and in the future.