Parents today can feel overwhelmed by all the tasks and responsibilities they have to do during the day. In many homes, both the father and mother work outside (or inside) the home and this can cause chores to pile up and hours to go by too quickly. Sometimes, perhaps without realizing it, they abuse television to care for their children.
So much so, that it seems that in some homes parents use television as if it were a mechanical kangaroo to keep their children entertained while they carry out other activities related to day-to-day life. The abuse of television is not good for children and even less, if they are under 18 months. It is necessary to avoid television to babies under 18 months, why?
Parents are surprised when health professionals such as pediatricians advise them that children should not watch television or use mobile applications before 18 months (currently, parents use these technologies at increasingly younger ages …). Many one-year-olds have already used a mobile device or watched television before, Even with just a few months!
Children's brain development
Many parents think that they are doing nothing wrong because their baby seems to be interested in screens and also entertains! It seems that the bright colors and movement of the screen capture their attention in such a way that they appear to be hypnotized, but the reality is that their young brains are unable to give meaning to those images that they see on the screens.
It takes about 18 months for a baby's brain to develop so that the symbols it sees on a screen can have some meaning. Babies and young children have to learn and develop through interaction with the people in their environment. When it comes to everyday life, babies and toddlers must learn by touching things, enjoying reality, seeing faces, and listening to the voices of their loved ones.
New technologies can teach children to touch a screen, but real skills are only achieved through learning in the real world. That is why children under 18 months should avoid contact with screens, that is, both with television and mobile device applications. And when they are older, you have to have a thorough parental control.
Why it should be avoided
If when babies and children are so entertained by screens, where is the harm really? Why do health and education specialists and professionals strongly advise against using these devices for such young children? If putting your baby on a bit of television so that you can wash the dishes quietly or to be able to talk on the phone without interruptions, why is it so bad?
Television or screen use before 18 months can have negative effects on children's language development, as well as in the development of reading skills and short-term memory. In addition, it can also contribute to problems with sleeping habits and even maintenance of attention.
The brain develops based on what it experiences and watching television is as if we were talking about junk food for the body, but in this case, it would be mental junk for babies and young children. The problem is what children do when they watch television: NOTHING. When children watch television they are not doing anything. Your brain falls 'asleep' and disconnects from reality. Children are programmed to learn by interacting with other people.
Babies need the facial expressions of others, hear the tones of voice, learn body language, enjoy the emotions in the arms of their parents ... When the television is turned on or any device with a screen is used, this much-needed interaction, stops completely.
A child learns and enjoys tapping kitchen pans on the floor more than watching what happens on a screen. Even if the noise bothers you, it is much better for your baby's development. Even having the television on in the background even though no one is watching is also detrimental to the baby's language development. As if that were not enough, if a child watches television or uses mobile devices before 18 months or is abused after this age, they will have attention problems when they are 7 years old.
After two years
When children pass the two-year threshold, things can change, but they will also need good parental control to enjoy good development. From the age of two, children can learn some skills from television or educational programs. There are programs designed exclusively for children, to teach them learning such as letters, numbers ... Thus enhancing some knowledge of language, mathematics, science, problem solving, social behaviors, etc.
In these cases it is also important that parents do not abuse television and that they never treat it as a babysitter for their children. Ideally, parents at these ages watch television with their children, comment on what they are watching and also exhaustively select the content that their children are watching on television or using on a mobile device. Only in this way will it be possible to make what children see on the screen really be positive for them, instead of putting their brain to sleep.
Parents should limit the use of screens from 18 months to 5 years to one hour a day and no more. Children must learn to interact differently with the real world in order to adequately develop all the skills necessary for successful growth. How much time do your children spend in front of a screen?