Social, intellectual and emotional reactions are exceedingly malleable in the tiniest of our citizens. That's why the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends against children younger than 2 watching any television.
The Kaiser researchers found that when children watch a lot of television, their parents don't read to them often. Children with TV sets in their rooms, naturally, watch television more than those who don't. Four- to 6-year olds who watch a lot of television spend less time reading or playing outside than other children their age. Puff potatoes grow up to be couch potatoes.
Although parents say their little television addicts imitate "positive" television behavior, some observe increased aggressive behavior, especially among boys. Television invariably influences behavior, influence intensified when parents don't spend much time with the kids.
No glass screen can replace the warmth of loving arms around a child. No cartoon character - or interactive toy - can spontaneously relate to a child's needs. No animated story can soothe like the human voice of a storyteller speaking to the child on her lap.
A child who seeks silence becomes a small rebel with a big cause.
I sat in on a classroom of second graders in Washington the other day, watching them "design" a playground for their new school. They chose a castle for climbing, a fire truck for exploration, a track for running. One little boy, age 7, was proudest of one corner of the playground farthest from everything else. "It's a corner for solitude and reflection," he told me. Out of the mouths of babes.