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Understanding TV's effects on the developing brain

antitelevision | April 28, 2002

Potential hazards in a media culture

Negative outcomes have been observed in today's schools, which appear to be related to too much of the wrong kind of media exposure. An "epidemic" of attention deficit disorder, behavioral problems, faltering academic abilities, language difficulties (which extend to reading comprehension as well as oral expression), and weak problem-solving skills are reported by teachers across the United States. Of course, parents' rushed life-styles and societal changes are partially responsible, but a growing body of research on television viewing clearly supports its causation role, with different children's tolerance thresholds varying widely.

Too much television — particularly at ages critical for language development and manipulative play — can impinge negatively on young minds in several different ways including the following:

Higher levels of television viewing correlate with lowered academic performance, especially reading scores. This may be because television substitutes for reading practice, partially because the compellingly visual nature of the stimulus blocks development of left-hemisphere language circuitry. A young brain manipulated by jazzy visual effects cannot divide attention to listen carefully to language. Moreover, the "two-minute mind" easily becomes impatient with any material requiring depth of processing.

The nature of the stimulus may predispose some children to attention problems. Even aside from violent or overly stimulating sexual content, the fast-paced, attention-grabbing "features" of children's programming (e.g., rapid zooms and pans, flashes of color, quick movement in the peripheral visual field, sudden loud noises) were modeled after advertising research, which determined that this technique is the best way to engage the brain's attention involuntarily. Such experiences deprive the child of practice in using his own brain independently, as in games, hobbies, social interaction, or just "fussing around." I have talked to many parents of children diagnosed with attention deficit disorder who found the difficulty markedly improved after they took away television viewing privileges.

Source: American Academy of Pediatrics: Child Health Month: Understanding TV's effects on the developing brain

Posted April 28, 2002 12:23 AM