Important early language development decreased by TV

3rd June 09

Category: Education

Television significantly reduces the amount of communication between a parent and child, according to research.

Young children and parents use fewer words and utter fewer sounds when in the presence of a television, according to a paper published in the June 2009 issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

Lead researcher Dr Dimitri A Christakis said: "We've known that television exposure during infancy is associated with language delays and attentional problems, but so far it has remained unclear why.

"This study is the first to demonstrate that when the television is on, there is reduced speech in the home. Infants vocalize less and their caregivers also speak to them more infrequently."

The study included 329 children aged between two and four years old and did not differentiate between when a child was directly viewing the TV and when they were just in the vicinity.

The research goes some way to proving the link between over exposure to television and delayed language development in young children.