The television set has been at the center of a debate over child rearing since it was first
introduced into our homes. One question that comes up often is how young is too young when it comes to plopping your
kid in front of the tube. The American Academy of Pediatrics has said for years that any child under the age of two
shouldn't be allowed to watch TV, but Sesame Street is challenging that notion with a new DVD
series aimed at the "under two" set called Sesame Beginnings, and some child advocates are not
thrilled about it, claiming that exposure to media at such an early age can harm a child's development. In defense of
Sesame Street and Sesame Workshop, the company has never ventured into anything haphazardly, and a lot of
thought and research went into these DVDs. Still, my feelings are that even if the DVDs are "safe" a child's
time would be better spent anywhere except in front of the television. They don't need to be stimulated by bright
colors and Muppets; the world is already fascinating enough to them.New Sesame Street DVDs under fire
The television set has been at the center of a debate over child rearing since it was first
introduced into our homes. One question that comes up often is how young is too young when it comes to plopping your
kid in front of the tube. The American Academy of Pediatrics has said for years that any child under the age of two
shouldn't be allowed to watch TV, but Sesame Street is challenging that notion with a new DVD
series aimed at the "under two" set called Sesame Beginnings, and some child advocates are not
thrilled about it, claiming that exposure to media at such an early age can harm a child's development. In defense of
Sesame Street and Sesame Workshop, the company has never ventured into anything haphazardly, and a lot of
thought and research went into these DVDs. Still, my feelings are that even if the DVDs are "safe" a child's
time would be better spent anywhere except in front of the television. They don't need to be stimulated by bright
colors and Muppets; the world is already fascinating enough to them.
Five changes Comcast should make to NBC
Gone Too Soon: Invasion
Scrubs season nine -- An early look
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-21-2006 @ 2:58PM
Bex said...
I used to watch Sesame Street three times a day, every day, as an infant. I was spelling, doing math, speaking Spanish and, of course, reading and writing by the age of 3. And trust me, it's not like I was some kind of Wunderkind.
Reply
4-09-2006 @ 10:47AM
Joel Anderson said...
What you fail to understand, previous poster, is that the OLD Sesame Street WE saw actually TAUGHT kids stuff. Today's Sesame Street is geared toward kids who apparently have ADD, and can't focus on anything for more than 12 seconds, and Elmo is hardly a role model with his semi-retarded way of speaking and his egocentric actions. Kids can't learn anything positive like that. Children have to also be taught to pay attention and develop a longer attention span. The new Sesame Street darn near GIVES kids ADD. The current Sesame Street is nearly a detriment to children's learning abilities.
Reply