STUDY: Screen Time for Babies? Press Play.
Written By Savvy Auntie Staff Writers
By Jaime Herndon
Babies aren’t supposed to be plopped in front of the television, right? Well…. despite what we’ve learned, the screen time might actually be educationally beneficial for them.
A new study to be published in Child Development by researchers at Emory University, funded by a division of the National Institute of Health, found that infants under the age of two can benefit from watching television. In the study, parents introduced American Sign Language signs to their 15 month olds, in 15 to 20 minute intervals, either by picture book or video. The babies who watched the videos – either with parents or alone – showed similar recall of the 18 signs presented as those with the picture books did. One caveat is that the study didn’t look at when to stop screen time.
If you’re spending time with your baby or toddler niece or nephew, don’t feel badly if you leave them in front of educational screen time while you get their food ready, or focus on the needs of a sibling. And if you watch the shows with them and then talk with them about what they watched, i.e. “co-viewing”- not only do you have some great bonding time, but you’re helping them developmentally, too!
Photo Jomphong
Published January 27, 2015