Is your child glued to the TV at daycare?
A new study suggests that the amount of television viewed by many young children in childcare settings doubles the previous estimates of early childhood screen time, with those in home-based daycare watching significantly more on average than those in center-based daycares.
The study was guided by Dimitri A. Christakis, MD, MPH, director of the Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development at Seattle Children’s Research Institute, professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine, and a Supernanny expert.
Previous estimates of screen time for babies and pre-school children relied on parental reports of viewing in the home, yet the majority of preschoolers are now commonly cared for by someone other than a parent, away from home in a childcare setting. Prior studies have estimated that preschool children watch 2 to 3 hours of TV per day at home. The new study found that among preschool-aged children, those in home-based daycare watched TV for 2.4 hours per day on average, compared to 0.4 hours in center-based settings. Some home-based programs were closer to the center-based programs in amount of time they used television, particularly those programs in which the staff had college degrees. With the exception of infants, children in home-based childcare programs were exposed to significantly more television on an average day than children in center-based programs (infants: 0.2 vs 0 hours; toddlers: 1.6 vs 0.1 hours; preschool-aged children: 2.4 vs 0.4 hours). The greatest increase in screen time occurred in the preschool group, in home-based child care settings.
“It’s alarming to find that so many children in the US are watching essentially twice as much television as we previously thought,” says Dr Christakis. “Research continues to link excessive preschool screen time with language delay, obesity, attention problems and even aggression depending upon content. At the same time, studies show that high quality preschool can be beneficial to children’s development. Unfortunately, for many children, the potential benefits of preschool may be being displaced by passive TV viewing. I suspect many parents are unaware of the frequency and extent of TV viewing in daycare settings. Hopefully, these findings will serve as a wake up call for them.”
The study looked at television use in 168 child care programs located in Michigan, Florida, Washington and Massachusetts, 94 of which were home-based programs and 74 were center-based. The study assessed frequency and quantity of television viewing for infants, toddlers and pre-school aged children. Participants were asked if they used TVs, videos or DVDs in their classrooms. Those who responded yes were asked for which age groups television was used, and for approximately how many hours each week in each age group.
Data was collected about the childcare program including hours of operation, number of staff members, number of children cared for, whether after-school care was provided on-site for school-aged children, and the educational level of child care providers.
“I think most parents expect their child’s preschool environment to provide opportunities for cognitive stimulation, social interaction and physical activity. Television is a poor substitute for all of these,” said Christakis. “We are increasingly technologizing childhood, which may prove harmful to the next generation of adults. Parents and health care providers should know how many total hours of screen time and what programs constitute children’s media diet, just as they should know how many calories and what foods they’re ingesting per day.”
Center-based childcare programs were found to provide an average of 1.84 fewer hours of screen time each day, nearly two hours less than home-based daycares. The impact of home-based versus center-based child care programs differed somewhat depending on educational levels for staff members; having a two- or four-year college degree was associated with 1.41 fewer hours of television per day in home-based programs, but no impact of staff education on television use was observed in center-based programs.
The American Academy of Pediatrics’ Committee on Public Education (Pediatrics, 2001) specifically recommends against screen time for children under 2 years of age, urging more interactive play in its place. Choose activities that promote language development and brain growth such as talking, playing, reading, singing and enjoying music.
For children over age 2 who are watching TV, choose age-appropriate programs (use guides and ratings to help, but beware of unproven claims that programs or DVDs are educational, and keep in mind that even cartoons produced for children can be violent or overstimulating). Make sure all programs or DVDs used at home and also in daycare are appropriate. Limit total TV time to no more than two hours per day (less is better) and be sure to add up TV time at home plus TV time in daycare. Keep the TV off during meals, and don’t use it as a reward. If your child is watching it, watch with her actively – ask her about the content – and turn it off when a chosen program is over. Don’t leave the TV on as background filler or while engaging in other activities, and keep TVs out of bedrooms and sleeping areas.
If you think your daycare provider may be allowing your child to watch TV, talk to them about your concerns. Explain that screen time is not proven to provide any benefits to children and may in fact cause harm if overused. Television replaces more positive activities like interactive play, singing, reading and talking so ask them to set limits. Ask your child what they are watching in daycare, just as you would ask what they eat and what they do.
The study is published in the December 2009 issue of
Pediatrics.