Preschoolers on "Media Diet" Show Improved Behavior: Study

It's no secret that preschoolers really like TV. And with more ways than ever now to access TV content — Elmo's just a tap away on Dad's new tablet — it's becoming more a part of preschoolers' daily lives all the time. In fact, it's estimated that preschool-aged children in the U.S. watch almost four and a half hours of TV each day at home and in daycare settings.

There are any number of studies out there about the negative effects of too much TV. (Not to mention this chilling report from New Zealand this week linking early TV watching to later criminal convictions.) But pediatrician Wendy Sue Swanson says the right kind of TV can improve children's lives. In the February 18 Huffington Post article "Preschoolers Can Learn Great Things From TV," Swanson discusses new research out this week that showed that a group of preschoolers who were put on a "media diet" — their parents paid special attention to the kinds of shows they were allowed to watch — exhibited better behavior after just six months.

The study, by Dimitri Christakis, pediatric researcher at Seattle Children's Hospital, was published online in the journal Pediatrics on February 18. It did not focus on how much TV the children watched; it was strictly about what they watched. With the encouragement and help of case managers, a group of children ages 3 to 5 in a "media diet" intervention program watched more "prosocial" content and less violent and inappropriate content than children in a control group.

"Prosocial programming," Swanson writes, "is that kind of TV show that promotes children acting in kind ways or shows children sharing. In prosocial shows, adults are portrayed as dependable and helpful."

The media diet worked: Scores for social competence and behavior improved significantly for the kids in the intervention group. They showed less aggressive and more prosocial behavior than those in the control group. At both the 6-month mark and the 12-month mark, they demonstrated more helpfulness, concern for others and empathy.

"It's a variation on the 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em' idea," writes pediatrician Claire McCarthy in the Pediatrics article "Pediatricians and Television: It's Time to Rethink Our Messaging and Our Efforts" published online February 18. "If the screens are going to be on, let's concentrate on the content, and how we make it work for children."

Swanson offers tips for creating your own media diet with children at the end of her piece. For more advice about good TV programming for young children, check out "Must-See TV for Preschoolers and Kindergarteners" on Education.com. For even more on TV and young children, see this article on preschoolers and this one on kids under age 3 on PBS Parents. For info on TV viewing and children of all ages, see this fact sheet from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP).