JOHN ROSEMOND | Parenting Study confirms opinion about TV

From the "I Told You So" Department: In 1979, I wrote a feature-length article for The Charlotte Observer (subsequently picked up by other newspapers) in which I opined that we knew enough about how the brain develops to conclude with reasonable certainty that television was bad for young children.
Specifically, bombarding the developing brain with television's incessant "flicker" was a recipe for a significantly shortened attention span and, by extension, poor impulse control. I emphasized that since all television programs (with the notable exception of "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood") produce said "flicker," that it did not matter what a child was watching -- "Sesame Street" was as harmful to the developing brain as a high-action movie.
Revisiting theme
Over the intervening 25 years, I have revisited this theme a number of times, proposing that television was contributing, and significantly so, to the epidemic of attention deficit disorder (ADD).
My recommendation: No television at all prior to the establishment of full literacy, which generally occurs around age 8 or 9. I was ridiculed by a good number of "experts," many of whom excoriated me for "blaming" parents of ADD kids, and called an "extremist" by lots of parents, many of whom pointed out that in moderation, nothing is harmful. Some professionals even went so far as to call my ideas "dangerous."
Impulse control
Now a team of researchers representing some of the best and brightest in the field have determined that even a moderate amount of television-watching during the formative years has an adverse effect on attention span. That's all well and good, and I do indeed feel significantly vindicated (apologies, anyone?), but said researchers have yet to spell out the obvious: to wit, that a short attention span compromises one's ability to exercise impulse control.
Although by no means the sole cause of ADD, I am confident that further research will find that when television-watching tips over the attention-span "domino," ADD is the highly likely end result.
Confirming anecdotes abound, such as the one I recently received from the mother of a now 5-year-old who was, at age 3, an enthusiastic television-watcher whom she says was "mouthy" and belligerent.
One morning, at wit's end concerning the child's misbehavior, she and her husband pulled the plug on the television. She writes, "What happened in the ensuing days (not weeks or months) was amazing. The misbehavior, most of which I'd put down as being an 'age thing,' went away completely, and the creativity that television had siphoned off emerged with a vengeance.
"Suddenly, tents began appearing in the play room, which became his 'operations center.' He became a chief for a while, then an explorer, then a scientist. We began the habit of 'reading' the newspaper together every morning, a ritual that continues to this day. The most amazing change that occurred, however, was in his overall attitude. He went from surly and belligerent to cheery and cooperative almost overnight.
Still 'broken'
"I hadn't realized how much his behavior had been adversely affected by television, even the small amount that we had previously allowed. Our television has been 'broken' now for more than two years. He occasionally watches something at someone else's house but here, in our home, we have completely replaced it with other things too numerous to mention including blessed silence. Today, my former rebel without a cause is a highly energetic, creative, occasionally misbehaving 5-year-old. This experiment had and continues to have a happy ending."
Thanks to said mom for a wonderful and inspiring story, at least I hope it inspires. In any case, don't say I didn't tell you so.
XJohn Rosemond is a family psychologist. Questions of general interest may be sent to him at Affirmative Parenting, 1020 East 86th Street, Suite 26B, Indianapolis, IN 46240 and at his Web site: http://www.rosemond.com/.