Myth vs. Evidence

“If they’re not watching, the TV being on is harmless”

The evidence: a lab study found background TV shortened very young children’s play, even though they barely looked at it.

What the study did

Fifty children aged 12, 24 and 36 months played for an hour: half the time with an adult TV show on in the background, half with the TV off. The children glanced at the TV for only a few seconds at a time, but their play episodes were shorter and their focus during play dropped when it was on.

How strong is it?

A small experimental study, so cause is clearer than in surveys, but it was one lab setting and one kind of program.

Try this

• Turn the TV off rather than down when nobody is watching.
• Try music or an audio story instead as background sound.

Source

Schmidt ME, et al. The effects of background television on the toy play behavior of very young children. Child Dev. 2008. PubMed 18717911 · doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2008.01180.x