At what age do kids start understanding tv?

[paulscape]

My son is only 5 months and a little rocker of fun. My wife and I continue to watch tv, dvd's and I sometimes play xbox. Occassionally the content can be graphic. Our son sometimes watches along with us. He seems oblivious to what's truly going on but I'm sure soon enough he will start to understand what's actually being shown instead of it being shapes and sounds. I personaly can't remember being scared of any sort of media entertainment until I understood the concepts portrayed. So when should I start to be careful of what he is seeing?

[Midnight Lady]

Now. As in "be careful" to some extent. Save graphic stuff for when he's gone to bed.

[germs]

he understands more than you think.

especially the context and emotion.

save the graphic stuff for after bedtime - which is what, 8PM?

[James M]

FWIW, our pediatrician (and the American Academy of Pediatrics, I believe) recommends no TV at all before 2 years old.

[pickaguitar]

tele tubbies

[scottlr]

Many years ago when my oldest was about 3-4, she'd wake up and come out and sit with me late night until she fell asleep again. I recall watching Wolfen (I think) one night and she came out. I wasn't thinking too much about it until the guy's face started to morph into a nasty wolfman thing. I turned and looked at her, and her eyes were 3 time their normal size. I put her back in bed, and she was OK, but I recall that look on her face. And this was when the only way to see that sort of thing was on HBO and such. Now, you can see that crap on any channel. I'd say now, as well.

[redgold]

We've learned a lot about the infant brain in the last decade or so... it is alive with activity and connections, much moreso than your brain or mine. It can habituate and discriminate stimuli even in utero. A baby's mind is far from a "blank slate."

What this actually means for later development is hard to say, but I would never want to underestimate what the infant brain can or can't process.

[Pale Rider]

Our first child, now almost 4, was in the room while I was watching some sweet Zombie movie when she was almost a year old-I thought she wasn't paying attention as we were playing and I had 1/5 of my attention on the film
someone got shot in the head-funny graphic violent style and she caught it and laughed-I felt so badly.
since then, we don't let them watch adult programs-but she now loves Scooby Doo-which has her favorites, zombies.

I love that show too.

[voorhiessa]

Kids are excellent observers, but poor interpretors. They start working on understanding emotions almost right away.

If you think it's risky, then you've already answered your question.

[Route234]

I dont worry about it myself for the most part. They are going to see that stuff sometime anyways. I do keep my son away from really graphic stuff, but I think the panic in some parents is so silly. That stuff is not going to harm anyone and at 5 months they have no idea what they are seeing on the TV. A person needs context to understand things like that and they have none.

The whole no tv before 2 is nonsense too. There nothing to support that other than theories.

[tedmcardle]

Putting my 6 month old in front of Regis and Kelly is the only way I can get ready in the morning. He freaks out when the View come on, so maybe you guys have a point. http://thefreeimagehost.info/images/101

[ShavenYak]

The whole no tv before 2 is nonsense too. There nothing to support that other than theories.

The idea that if you jump off a cliff, you will fall to the ground and be seriously injured is nonsense too. There is nothing to support that other than the theory of gravity.

Sorry, the misuse of the word "theory" as if it were a synonym for "wild-@$$ guess" is one of my pet peeves.

For one thing, young children's eyes are still developing, particularly the muscles that move the eyeball and focus. Presenting them with too much visual stimulation that stays in one small area, at one distance, very likely slows that development.

I wonder how many people who don't worry about watching violent television shows with their children in the room because they don't understand it yet, would feel the same way about hardcore porn?

[The_Whale]

I'm 41 and I still don't understand much.

[germs]

I wonder how many people who don't worry about watching violent television shows with their children in the room because they don't understand it yet, would feel the same way about hardcore porn?

i'd imagine that particular demographic would fall within that range of people who would also have sex with the baby sleeping in a crib next to the bed...

it really doesn't have too much to do with "morality".

children can react to situations and scenarios based strictly on how they've watched their parents react. as supported by a previous post. no context is necessary. it's an "if/then" situation. not a "contextual" situation.

but ya'll are free to screw up your kids however you want. some of us have lived through worse, i'm sure.

[anxiousmofo]

The idea that if you jump off a cliff, you will fall to the ground and be seriously injured is nonsense too. There is nothing to support that other than the theory of gravity.

Really? No verifiable testing has been done on this falling from heights business?

[esmiralha]

he understands more than you think.

especially the context and emotion.

save the graphic stuff for after bedtime - which is what, 8PM?

When I was almost 3 years old my dad took me to an amusement park. We passed by the "Ghost Train", kind of a spooky ride. We just passed by the entrance. I remember seeing something that I understood to be a shining red Sailor Popeye stirring a cauldron. Later, I came back to the same park and it was an image of the Devil. So, I saw something that I couldn't understand (the Devil) and I related it to more familiar concepts (Popeye).

True story.

[James M]

The whole no tv before 2 is nonsense too. There nothing to support that other than theories.

I disagree...my daughter (now 13 mos) gets no TV at all. It may be a theory, but how can TV be good for her? Well respected doctors/developmental psychologists have raised concerns about kids zoning out in front of a static, 2 dimensional medium...enough so that it's not worth the risk to me. I've never seen anyone argue that TV is good for you.

[voorhiessa]

^recent study says that while TV may not be 'bad', it does distract your child from natural play. Not in that your child may not want to play, but it interrupt their train of thought (like us).

FWIW, I dont really care what studies say generally, but I had feeling that just a TV being on in the room can interfere in their play.

One of my nitpiks are TVs that are on and not being watched....

[ShavenYak]

Really? No verifiable testing has been done on this falling from heights business?

Of course testing has been done, and that's why experts consider gravity to be a valid theory.

[paulscape]

Thanks for all the informative and theoretical replies. He's only 5 months so while he sometimes watches the screen he doesn't seem to really pay attention to it and certainly no weird looks on his face if Im blasting away critters exploding their heads on an xbox game. He often sits in his pram or lies on the couch and I think for the time being we will simply turn the pram away from the TV. But very soon we will have to start taking more care. We actually dont watch a lot of tv...I like to read and listen to music in the evenings and often I just enjoying 'excercising' and playing with my boy. Usually we can't even put a movie on until he's sleeping anyway otherwise he wants attention. He's a really happy inquisitive kid - my wife and I are very lucky.

He also already seems to have an interest in guitar! Usually I play in my studio room but sometimes come out into the lounge with a telecaster and princeton and he just stares fascinated at me playing.

[Shiny McShine]

he understands more than you think.

especially the context and emotion.

save the graphic stuff for after bedtime - which is what, 8PM?

It's not so much that he understands. It's more the opposite of that. He has absolutely no experience at all. Therefore, his ability to be imprinted, that is, the impact of things is much greater because their is no reference point for them. All things are accepted as reality and actually happening.

Since the underlying message in all advertising is either "you are not complete" or "you need to be afraid but we have the solution", TV is a powerful agent for someone so young.

[Blue Light]

OK, no theories here. I've SEEN a number of local families raise their kids without television. And all the kids are amazing. I mean, smart as whips.

I didn't do that for mine. But I did limit what they could watch.