Thousands of children are struggling to learn to talk because their families keep the television on constantly. Research found almost a quarter of boys and one in seven girls develop speech problems – often due to TV background noise which makes it difficult for babies to understand adults around them. As many as four per cent of three-year-olds have not spoken by the age of three.
The study by Jean Gross, who advises the Government on children’s speech, found that three per cent of infants go on to develop ‘significant’ problems talking. Even if young children are not watching programmes, Mrs Gross is concerned that they are struggling to make out words spoken by parents or older siblings when the TV is blaring in the background. She said: ‘Our brains have not evolved to learn from machines. Babies are primed to respond to a face, and to recognise their parents’ faces.’
Her survey of 1,000 parents conducted by YouGov found that 22 per cent of boys and 13 per cent of girls have trouble developing speech and understanding others. A quarter of families also said they have the television on either ‘most of the time’ or ‘all the time’.
One in ten children between one or two years old has a set in their bedroom. Children typically said their first word at between 10 and 11 months old – but four per cent had not spoken by the age of three. Mrs Gross said: ‘The proportion of children who have difficulty learning to talk and understand speech is high, particularly among boys.’
Daily Mail
Vocabulary:
to struggle – küzd, harcol
infant – csecsem?
sibling – testvér
to blare – szól
to respond to sg – érzékeny valamire
set – készülék
proportion – arány
What do you think, is TV harmful in our life?
TABLE RULES TO WATCH BY
There are things that parents can do to help their children get the maximum benefit from television, while avoiding the ill effects:
1. Set TV-watching time to no more than two hours each day for everyone in the household. It is important for parents to stick to this rule themselves, since kids model their behavior after their parents.
2. Choose the shows with your child, trying to steer them toward educational programs. Avoid shows with violent material. If you have trouble controlling what your child watches, consider a lockbox on the television.
3. Have your children pick shows that are not too late and will not interfere with daily routines such as meals and homework.
4. Do not use the television as a babysitter; instead, watch the show with your child. This is especially important for children under 10, because they often have difficulty telling the difference between fantasy and reality and may need you to explain things.
5. Avoid snacking or having family meals in front of the television.
6. Do not allow your children to have TV sets in their bedrooms. This makes it more difficult for you to regulate what your child watches and doesn’t promote family togetherness.
7. Most importantly, encourage your children to do other things besides watching television. Do an art project together, read a book, or get out of the house and go to the playground or the zoo. In other words, don’t watch life … live it!
CNN
