The French Ban TV for Children Under Three
Showing infinite wisdom beyond Americans, the French have banned French television programs designed for children under three-years-old. Unfortunately, young French children are still exposed to TV programs broadcast from foreign channels on cable, such BabyFirstTV, but now those channels must warn parents of the negative developmental effects of television watching. Such programing now issues the following warning to French parents,
“Watching television can slow the development of children under 3, even when it involves channels aimed specifically at them.”
The warning is based on a ruling by the High Audiovisual Council which states:
Television viewing hurts the development of children under 3 years old and poses a certain number of risks, encouraging passivity, slow language acquisition, over-excitedness, troubles with sleep and concentration as well as dependence on screens.
Personally, my children never showed an interest in TV until they were three-years-old, and even so, they would much rather play than sit idly by in front of the tube. I love it now that my seven-year-old calls TV “boring” and would much rather read a book. I’ve always believed that given the right environment, children know what is best for their own development. The world should take notice of France’s ban on television aimed at our youngest children consumers.
Via: Associated Press and Z Recs
Image: iandeth on Flickr under a Creative Commons License
Yeah, us stupid Americans with our freedom of choice. If only we lived in a paranoid nanny state…
The average child watches 28 hours of TV per week and sees 20,000 commercials a year.
Hours per year the average American youth spends in school: 900 hours
Hours per year the average American youth watches television: 1500
(source: http://www.csun.edu/science/health/docs/tv&health.html)
Do we want average children or exceptional children?
I choose exceptional. We ditched the TV years ago, and have no regrets.
Very interesting post! Our young children don’t watch 28 hours of TV per week, but they do watch some movies over and over again and I doubt that is good for their brains. (Though I have to admit that the break is good for mine, and I’ve gotten over feeling guilty about it.) I would love to go back to a life without a TV or at least get it out of the main sitting room, but my sports loving spouse has said that for that to happen I would have to give up all of my books.
Funny how people will rally against something that’s universally considered to be “evil” without considering who can be benefited. I used to care for a boy who, after losing his hearing to a virus as a newborn, relied on a cochlear implant to hear. Because his language skills were retarded as a result, his parents found that watching limited amounts of television actually accelerated his speech and gave him a greater understanding of how verbal communication works in our society. I don’t see how allowing children to watch a few hours of television a week is corrupting them, and I’m getting tired of the holier-than-thou approach to parenting that I find every time I turn around.
WOW! Thanks government for telling me what my kids can and can’t watch. They should get rid of HBO and Cinemax next.
If you as a parent don’t like TV, dont fucking watch it.
Agree with Evann here - just because something may be associated with some particular ‘bad’ behaviour, such as a subjective concept of ‘bad parenting’, it does not mean that thing is inherently bad, and must be banned.
This seems too much like a cheap political trick to give the impression of ‘action’, of ‘doing something’, with very little cost.
Nanny state boy, I suppose that you make some sort of distinction then with your governments banning of certain molecules which you are not allowed to consume i.e. THC and another governments decision on what constitutes harm in a child ( interestingly it seems there is more research support for one being harmful than the other)
No need to mention any of the other many many consensual crimes that exist in the usa. You have to agree, if your state does any nannying, then it is a nanny state.
More to the point, unless any of you have actually done the research on the plasticity of a >3 year old brain and televisions effect on it, then I fail to see how you can possibly make any intelligent comment in regards to its accuracy. The very ubiquity and seemingly benign nature of t.v. is what makes it so insidious. Programming directed towards a certain ago cohort has the implicit understanding that it is ” ok ” and perhaps beneficial for that cohort to view it. The population must trust the government to insure that implicit statements of service providers (entertainment et al) are accurate. If it has been determined that X causes Y harm to Z. Then the correct action is to remove the exposure of X to Z to the best of your ability, while simultaneously warning people as to the Y danger to Z from X
Children watch something over and over because each time they watch something, they notice something new. It’s a new experience, even the 50th time they watch it. TV is not necessarily negative. Like almost everything else, in moderation it’s fine. Sheesh…
How can exposure to language and other stimuli be inherently bad? If it’s developmentally appropriate, then where’s the problem?
Wait, so taking away personal freedom is a good thing? Way to go France. America is starting to do the same thing, and I hate it. Patriot Act anyone? Shit, next cigarettes and beer will be illegal because they are bad for you. Then fast food. Then kids will only be able to read the bible and other books specified by the government. Gotta love authoritarianism. Its called parenting dammit. If you dont want your kid watching tv, turn it off.
Agree with Chase, taking personal freedom away is not too cool. Personally, my kids watch t.v. and so do I. Guess what, it is called moderation.