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EDITOR'S
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Relevant Site American Academy of Pediatrics
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August 16, 1999 When the American Academy of Pediatrics recently recommended that children—especially those under age 2—be kept from watching any television whatsoever, parents across the country reached for the remote control. What they didn’t know is that, with no clear research on which to base such a warning, the AAP is grossly overstating television’s risks, making parents feel like even five minutes of “Sesame Street” is dangerous for their 1-year-olds. The AAP explained that “research on early brain development shows that babies and toddlers have a critical need for direct interactions with parents and other significant caregivers for healthy brain growth and the development of appropriate social, emotional, and cognitive skills.” They are also encouraging pediatricians to sit down with every family in their practice and do a detailed media history, noting just how much time the children spend in front of the tube. Now, I’m not a proponent of letting kids watch much TV. In many ways, I think the AAP is on the right track. But we should worry when healthcare professionals use their expert status to try to influence society’s behavior without firm facts to back up their premise. I’d rather they just come out on the basis of common sense. But why so extreme? They’re saying that even 30 minutes a day of television is going to hinder the mental development of the average 2-year-old. They’re also out of touch with reality, since millions of parents could never take a shower if they didn’t invite Mr. Rogers into their home once in a while. Common sense tells most parents that sticking their children in front of a television for 18 years probably won’t turn them into sensitive human beings, rocket scientists, World Cup winners, or great artists. But how bad is TV in moderation? When experts take such an extreme point of view, it makes people wonder how much attention they should pay to what any authority recommends. According to sociologist Barry Glassner, PhD, author of The Culture of Fear: Why Americans Are Afraid of the Wrong Things (Basic Books, 1999), the problem with aggrandizing questionable concerns is that legitimate concerns tend to get trivialized. Glassner says more than three times as many people are killed by lightning than by violence in schools, and we are several times more likely to be killed by lightning than by someone we work with or employ. He also says there’s never been a single confirmed death or injury from a stranger poisoning Halloween candy since the scare first surfaced in 1958. But the facts are hidden by sensationalistic news coverage and by interest groups and experts who get so focused on the cause itself that they lose sight of the truth. The AAP statement is just like the Aesop fable about the boy who cried wolf. The more health professionals allow risks to be exaggerated before they are scientifically determined, the more consumers will learn to ignore us. The problem is, when we do have a scientifically proven fact to convey, I’m afraid people won’t know what to think. They’ll probably all be sound asleep in front of the TV. Barbara
Bronson Gray, MN, RN |