Study Finds Positive Effects of Educational TV on Preschoolers

SEATTLE, November 6: A new study published today in the
November issue of Pediatrics, the
official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, has found that educational
television programs can be beneficial to toddlers and preschoolers in
broadening their knowledge, affecting their racial attitudes and enhancing
their creativity.

The report looked at 12 studies conducted between 1973 and
2000 focused specifically on television content viewed by children under the
age of 6 and its impact on learning, racial preference, aggression, pro-social
behavior, self-regulation and imagination.

The research found that there is evidence to suggest that
educational television programs, such as Sesame Street and Mister Rogers, can aid in the acquisition of general knowledge
plus improve overall cognitive knowledge among young children. There is also
evidence in the literature that children's imaginative play can be positively
affected by television content. Furthermore, educational television programming
that emphasizes diversity can improve children's racial attitudes.

"The bottom line is that content is
key—high-quality educational programming can have a positive effect on
children under age 6," said Dr. Dimitri Christakis, a pediatrician at
Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle. "However, much
more research is needed. It was disappointing that there are so few rigorous
controlled trials of something that is so important and so prevalent."

However, there was also evidence that television viewing can
increase a child's display of aggression.

"This is a good start, but more research is needed on
the impact of television viewing and content on infants and young children,”
added Christakis. “Especially as the infant video and cable television markets
are exploding, we should be carefully monitoring whether or not these products
meet their claims to improve a child's intelligence, language acquisition and
pro-social behaviors. At this point, we should continue to be cautious about
the amount and type of television we let our kids watch."