TV for Toddlers?

I know how difficult it can be to get things done when you have little ones running around.  TV can seem like a great way to get the house clean or sit and relax for a while after being exhausted from chasing your 2 year old around all day.  But is TV good for kids?  The obvious answer seems to be no.  Yet, there are so many educational programs and Nick JR claims to be "preschool on tv", so maybe it's not so bad. 
There has been a lot of research going on the last several years that seems to prove that too much tv can lead to attention span problems in children. They say that tv rewires a child's brain to need fast movement all the time and causes them to lose the ability to focus on the slower pace of normal life.   I tend to agree with this since ADHD was unheard of back when kids went outside to play instead of spending hours and hours in front of the tv, playstation or computer.

 Here is an eyeopening quote "According to a study published in Nature magazine... the basal ganglia portion of the brain becomes very active when a person plays video games and watches TV. And the body releases a chemical called dopamine. Ritalin (and cocaine) also work on the basal ganglia of the brain and increase dopamine. As Dr. Amen writes, �The problem is that the more dopamine is released, the less neurotransmitter is available to do schoolwork, chores, homework and so on.

Maybe this is why video games are so addicting.  It makes alot of sense that if they are getting the same neurochemical response as taking ritalin or cocaine that they would become addicted. 

However, there are also studies that show that content is important as well as quantity.  Studies have shown that educational programs such as Sesamme Street watched at age 3 increase vocabulary at age 5 and that it also leads to better grades in high school.  The study also seemed to indicate that the advantages were greater for kids from lower socioeconomic status who don't have the same access to educational opportunities.

Placing your child in front of the tv also takes away from time spent interacting with adults and engaging in opportunities to learn.  For example, working puzzles and reading stories.  Even playing with cars or running around in the back yard is an educational opportunity for a small child. 

My personal opinion is that tv should be very limited in small children.  I think that if they are going to watch tv then it should be slow paced and educational shows such as Sesamme Street and Blue's Clues.  The time should be limited to maybe an hour a day (although experts recommend 30 min) when you really need to have some time to yourself.  The quote above should also make us think twice about allowing our older children to spend hours on the video games.  We need to think about what's best for our children, not what's easier for us.  By not taking the easy way out, we will end up with smarter and more socially adept children.

Here is another interesting article about ADD and television if you are interested.