Why Should Toddlers Not Watch Television?

I felt the most pleasant emotions when I turned a mother; but also soon realized that motherhood had a lot of challenges. One such challenge was whether my toddler should watch television; some older mums and the internet helped me a lot. I thought I would first address young mothers about the reasons why their toddlers should not watch TV.          

A bird eye’s view makes me observe the following pointers: 

• Expert views state that most toddlers below the age of two years do not understand anything that is going on in the television and view it more like a confusing array of noises, images and colors. Since each scene of the TV lasts for just a few seconds the baby is not in a position to comprehend and digest what is going on.

• Next cartoons that most children now-a-days watch are not just fun and enjoyable; they are today filled with images of violence that is highly undesirable. Just switch on the TV and watch the favorite shows of children; they are far from Bugs Bunny and are more of animated adult shows that contain violence. I would TV is a big NO for toddlers that would start believing that violence and aggressive behavior is the trend of life.
  


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•  Most babies and toddlers believe that the world is what they watch on TV; these young minds are incapable of understanding the difference between the pretense and real. Watching some shows confuses the children and they fail to distinguish between the right and the wrong; your toddler could also get a wrong perspective of life.

• Never introduce your toddler to viewing TV for too long; he could become addicted and it would turn too difficult to wean him. Also he would lose his natural creativity and time to be spent on play. All this would lay a sound foundation for healthy childhood and primary learning. It is also significant to note that most children grow a lot physically, mentally and emotionally in the formative years; addictive TV watching means time taken away from healthy activities that nurture development and growth.  

•  I would not risk my toddler to childhood obesity that excess TV watching brings about; I would also discourage parents that felt they used the TV as a baby sitter to keep their toddler happy and quiet. Watching a lot of TV also promotes poor social development and brought about an aggressive behavior. A study done in Yale states that those kindergarten children that are addicted to the TV were less cooperative, less imaginative, less enthusiastic about learning and less happy that their counterparts that watch less TV or no TV at all. 

These are some of the favorite reasons why toddlers should not watch television; though I would not say viewing TV is wrong, it has its own merits too. I would soon be telling you the reasons why TV viewing is essential though it is to be done in moderation. Can you guess the reasons?