DR. BENARD DREYER, AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS SPOKESPERSON:
If you’re talking about three- to four-year-olds and educational TV, perhaps there’s some actual, some evidence that it might actually be helpful to them. But if you’re talking about young children, there is really good evidence that it doesn’t do anything for them because after all, it’s an image on a flat screen. It’s not a person really talking to them and responding to them.
ANNOUNCER:
So, especially with children under two, the best approach may be to simply turn off the tube.
DR. BENARD DREYER, AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS SPOKESPERSON:
They need adults to play with them, to talk to them, to read to them. Or they need to interact with age-appropriate toys that will teach them something about manipulating objects and how things work. And watching an image on TV really does nothing for them but waste their time.
ANNOUNCER:
Thanks for joining us on today’s Once Daily!
