When adults discuss the effects of television on child development, they often focus on content. They are concerned about the sex scenes, bad language, and violence. These are legitimate concerns, but another important question is, "What are children missing developmentally by spending so many of their waking hours sitting passively in front of the TV set?"

Children ages three to five spend, on the average, 3-7 hours a day watching TV, and by the time they are six years old will have spent 5,000 hours viewing television according to Marie Winn, author of The Plug-in Drug: Television, Children and the Family. How does this affect language development. How does it influence the development of imagination, creativity, social skills and family life?

The hidden effects of TV are real risks for emotional, social and cognitive deficits. Children spend more time watching TV than any other single activity during the height of the most critical period for language and cognitive development. In many homes, TV is curtailing the role of free play as a formative activity of early childhood.

National reading test scores have declined dramatically over the last twenty years and continue to decline. The causes of this are complex and include socio-economic, familial, and geographic factors. Numerous studies indicate an inverse relationship between television viewing and reading/language achievement. Children who plug into their regular evening programs spend less time reading or being read to, less time in family conversations, and less time involved in challenging mental activities such as puzzles, board games, etc.

Researchers have learned that the part of the brain that is activated by fast paced TV viewing is the "reptilian system" or the "old brain." This area of the brain is where the instinctual fight/flight reflexes originate, as well as feelings. Cortical functioning actually slows down while kids watch TV as the cortical cortex moves from an active beta state into an alpha brain wave state. Little or no active mental construction of meaning takes place. According to Gloria DeGaetano, media specialist, educator and author of Screen Smarts, kids are not creating pictures in their minds while they watch television the way they do when they are being read to. Children need opportunities for developing their own capacity for symbolic thought in order to eventually become successful readers themselves. The television experience creates feelings and impressions in the absence of thoughtful analysis. If there is conversation between parent and child during the TV program about what is being watched, then the cerebral cortex remains active and there is less chance of the child slipping into the trance-like, mindless alpha state.

In children’s programming the visual images shift and change so rapidly (on the average of every 5 or 6 seconds) that there is no time for thought or reflection. Researcher, Jerome Singer, believes that it is the actual change of impulses in the brain that holds the child’s attention, not the content or story. Children who are accustomed to fast moving images to hold their attention may have great difficulty when given more challenging tasks which require sustained, focused and active concentration.

In her book, Endangered Minds, Jane Healy explains the concept of "neuroplasticity." This term refers to the theory that active interaction with the environment is what shapes the physical foundations in the growing brain. Scientists believe the way the brain is used causes physical changes within the brain. As experiences are repeated over and over again corresponding synaptic structures grow and are strengthened. Neural connections form for certain kinds of learning and skills depending on how the brain gets exercised based on the choices made by the child. The question becomes, which skills are being developed or lost amongst children whose primary activity is TV viewing.

Ms. DeGaetano suggests that parents who want to limit their children’s use of TV follow these guidelines:

• No more than one hour of TV a day for young children.

• Adult modeling of intention when viewing is very important. Stating a reason to watch a program teaches constructive use of television.

• Parents can regularly watch with their children, or mediate the experience by asking questions and hearing their child’s feedback about what they are understanding from the program.