TV's Effects on a Toddler's Brain Development

Risk of Language Development Impairment

• Around 18 months old, the language development of your toddler should skyrocket. While the exact science of how, why and when toddlers learn to speak fluently is not known, social learning theory says that toddlers absorb the language patterns around them. Healthy language development will include input from parents, siblings, other family members and caregivers. Interactionist theory takes that concept a step further by stating that children need to speak, and be spoken to, to fully grasp language development. Too much time spent in front of a television screen leads to empty interaction and can stunt language development in toddlers.

Risk of Childhood Obesity

• A study published in the July 2012 "International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition" revealed that every hour of television watched by a 29-month-old child correlates to less lower-body muscular strength in the elementary school years. The Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development found that toddlers exposed to more television than the prescribed 2-hour, or zero-hour, segment per day had a larger waistline than their peers. The Centers for Disease Control reports that it is not simply toddlers watching the television that leads to unhealthy weight. The CDC found that eating high-calorie snacks and consuming sugary beverages are associated with television watching among toddlers.

Risk of Autism

• A study conducted by the National Bureau of Economic Research found a correlation between autism, which becomes apparent by age 3, and television watching. The actual viewing of the television was not the underlying cause of the autism, but served as a trigger for toddlers predisposed to the condition. In 1980, 1 in 10,000 children was diagnosed with autism. The Centers for Disease Control say that number is now closer to 20 in 1000, or 1 in every 50 children. Microeconomic theorist Michael Waldman believes that rise correlates with the spread of cable television and infant and toddler-specific programming. Though television has not been officially named as the culprit in the exponential rise of reported autism cases, pediatricians and child health organizations strongly urge limited, or no, screen time in infants and toddlers.

A Healthy Dose of Television

• The American Academy of Pediatrics urges parents to place a limit on all screen time in the home -- not just television viewing. For children under 2 years of age, the AAP tells parents to avoid media entertainment completely as an infant's brain best develops through interaction with people, not electronics. Toddlers between the ages of 2 and 3 years of age should never watch television for longer than two hours per day and that time should be full of educational programming. Outside the allowable screen time recommended by the AAP, toddlers should spend energy reading, playing outside or developing their creative skills through free play.