The document discusses research on infant and toddler exposure to electronic media. It notes that 68% of children under 2 use screen media daily, with some having TVs in their bedrooms, watching an average of 1-2 hours per day. The AAP recommends no screen time for children under 2 since it takes away from more interactive learning activities. However, 30% of parents say media helps with learning. The document reviews various theories around child development and the role of media and parent interaction. It concludes that parent involvement is important for cognitive development and some research shows background TV can negatively impact parent-child interaction.

1. Content Matters:
Viewing and Cognitive Development
in Infants and Toddlers
By: Andrea Tell Summers
Xavier University

3. Infant and toddler exposure to electronic visual media has
dramatically increased in recent years ……..

4. Brand Loyalty

5. Recent nationally representative data
indicate that 68% of children less than 2
years of age use screen media on a typical
day.(Schmidt, Rich, Rifas-Shiman, Oken, & Taveras, 2009)

6. One quarter of these children have a
television set in their bedroom.
(Schmidt et al., 2009)

7. Additionally data suggests most infants in
the US less than 2 watch between 1 and 2
hours of TV daily.
(Schmidt et al., 2009)

8. The American Academy of Pediatrics
has recommended no screen media for
children under two years of age
because the time spent viewing is time
lost from more interactive and brain-
enriching activities implicit in social
exchanges, language, and play.
(Courage & Setliff, 2009)

9. Unfortunately no direct evidence was
provided with the recommendation.

10. 30% of parents in a recent survey indicated that
learning and brain development were among their
primary reasons for providing age-appropriate
videos to their infants.
(Courage & Setliff, 2009)

11. Media, in its many forms, is pervasive…

12. 57% of parents said they were concerned about
their children spending too much time with
media.(Wilson & Drogos, 2009)

13. Relevant findings become oversimplified
when removed from their research
contexts…..

14. Piaget Researchers have
used the work of Jean
Piaget to predict the
developmental differences
in children’s comprehension
of a television narrative,
fright reactions to media
content, and responses to
advertising.

15. Hi everybody. Wanna come play
in my clubhouse?

16. Rousseau believed that
children like working on
physical things and
learning from nature
while books and society
are foreign to them.

17. Spending just a little time around a
young child will quickly lead to the
realization that children are
fascinated by nature.

18. Believed that children
required tools
provided by culture in
order to develop fully.

19. Maria Montessori also said that
we, as parents and teachers,
are responsible for the
prepared environment in which
the child will be immersed, and
learning, and in what material
will be available for our
children’s for absorption.

21. There is currently a broad consensus from
research that deficits in attention, like
ADHD, are attributable largely to neurological
and genetic factors and to a lesser extent
biohazard exposure, with social factors being
of minor importance . (Courage & Setliff, 2009)

22. Exposure to media violence can lead to
desensitization.

23. Surveys have documented a link between
heavy exposure to media violence and
children’s acceptance or tolerance of
aggression as a problem solving tactic.
(Thakker,
Garrison & Christakis, 2006)

24. Multiracial inserts into
Sesame Street changed the
short-term attitude of
preschoolers.

25. One study found that 90% of college students
could describe an intense, long-lasting fear
response from seeing a TV program or movie
as a child. (Wilson & Drogos, 2009)

26. Several studies have found a
correlation between heavy
television viewing and
children’s weight…

27. One study showed frequent preschool viewing of general
audience programming and even cartoons had no positive effect,
and in some cases actually diminished academic performance
over time.

28. Infants are inherently
social beings, and much
of their cognitive
development emerges in
a social context.

29. Parent-child interaction is very important to cognitive
development and some research has shown the
negative effects that background television can have
on parent-child interaction.(Wartella, Richert & Robb, 2010)

30. Parents and other family members
have a substantial influence on
children’s media experiences.

32. Sources
Courage, M.L., & Setliff, A.E. (2009). Debating the Impact of Television and Video
Material on Very Young Children: Attention, Learning, and the Developing Brain. Child
Development Perspectives. Vol 3(1) no. 1 (Apr 2009) p. 72-78
Crain, W., (2005). Theories of Development Concepts and Applications (5th ed.). Upper
Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.
Schmidt, M.E., Rich, M., Rafas-Shiman, S.L., Oken, E., & Taveras, E.M. (2009). Television
Viewing in Infancy and Child Cognition at 3 Years of Age in a US Cohort. Pediatrics. Vol
123(3) no. 3 (Mar 2009) p. e370-e375
Thakker, R.R., Garrison, M.M., Christakis, D.A. (2006) A Systematic Review for the
Effects of Television Viewing by Infants and Preschoolers. Pediatrics. Vol. 118 No. 5
November 1, 2006 pp. 2025 -2031
Wartella, E., Richert, R.A., Robb, M. B. (2010) Babies, television, and videos: How did
we get here? Developmental Review. Vol 30(2) no. 2 (Jun 2010) p. 116-127
Wilson, B.J., & Drogos, K.L. (2009). Children and Adolescents: Distinctive Audiences of
Media Content. Media Process and Effects. Chapter 31 p. 469-485