World News and Trends: TV and your child's brain
Young children who watch television at a very early age may risk later attention deficit problems, according to Dr. Dimitri Christakis (Associated Press report, April 5).
Researcher Christakis indicates that TV might overstimulate and permanently rewire (or miswire) the developing brain. "The truth is there are lots of reasons for children not to watch television. Other studies have shown it to be associated with obe-sity and aggressiveness" (ibid.). The government-sponsored study can be found in the April 2004 issue of Pediatrics .
Dr. Christakis' findings support the American Academy of Pediatrics' recommendations that children two and younger should not watch TV. Why? "The newborn brain develops very rapidly during the first two to three years of life. It's really being wired during that time" (ibid.). The fast-paced visual images typical of most TV programming affect the brain and create the potential for serious attention deficit problems.
Electronic media purveyors realize that TV viewers have become habitualized to fast-paced visual images, and to keep the viewer glued to the set they must change onscreen visual images rapidly.
Otherwise other distractions will win the day.
Try this experiment yourself: Watch the evening news and time the number of seconds that separate new and/or moving images, small or large. You'll quickly see why there's little wonder that some are concerned about the potential of rewiring a two-year-old's brain beyond what is considered safe and normal.
On balance, Jennifer Kotler, assistant director for research at Sesame Workshop, which produces educational children's television programs including Sesame Street , questioned whether Dr. Christakis' studies would legitimately apply to educational programming. She wondered whether more variables could be included in such studies to see whether content or kids watching with their parents make a difference (ibid.). Still, common sense and good parenting can make for normal and therefore better child brain development. Reading to your child trumps TV. (Source: Associated Press.)
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: May - June 2004
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Jerold Aust
Jerold Aust has served in the ministry for 52 years, as a public speaker for 58 years, a published writer for 38 years, and is employed by UCG’s Media and Communications Services. He is a Senior Writer, interviewer, and editor for Beyond Today Magazine and has taught Speech Communication for UCG’s ministerial online program and the Book of Revelation for ABC.
Jerold holds a BA in theology from Ambassador College, Pasadena (1968), an MA in Communication from California State University, Fullerton (1995), a distance-learning Ph.D (2006), and a Famous Writers School diploma in non-fiction writing (1973). Additionally, he studied post-grad communication at University of Southern California (1995), radio, TV, voice-overs, and Public Relations at Fullerton College (1995-1996), and graduate communication at Wichita State University (1978). Jerold has taught communication at the University of South Alabama (7 years) and ABC (17 years). His published works include, Ronald Reagan’s Rhetoric: Metaphor as Persuasion and EZSpeakers: Public Speaking Made Easy in 7 Steps. Jerold's overarching goal is to share with humankind its incredible destiny!
John Ross Schroeder
John died on March 8, 2014, in Oxford, England, four days after suffering cardiac arrest while returning home from a press event in London. John was 77 and still going strong.
Some of John's work for The Good News appeared under his byline, but much didn't. He wrote more than a thousand articles over the years, but also wrote the Questions and Answers section of the magazine, compiled our Letters From Our Readers, and wrote many of the items in the Current Events and Trends section. He also contributed greatly to a number of our study guides and Bible Study Course lessons. His writing has touched the lives of literally millions of people over the years.
John traveled widely over the years as an accredited journalist, especially in Europe. His knowledge of European and Middle East history added a great deal to his articles on history and Bible prophecy.
In his later years he also pastored congregations in Northern Ireland and East Sussex, and that experience added another dimension to his writing. He and his wife Jan were an effective team in our British Isles office near their home.
John was a humble servant who dedicated his life to sharing the gospel—the good news—of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God to all the world, and his work was known to readers in nearly every country of the world.
