In last week’s Metro Parent e-newsletter, we reported that Disney is offering refunds on Baby Einstein DVDs purchased in the last five years. Disney agreed to offer the refunds after the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood complained to the FTC, requesting that Disney stop claiming that Baby Einstein videos were educational for infants. Click here to learn more about how to claim your refund.
Here are some astonishing findings from the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood’s Web site:
There is no evidence of cognitive benefits from watching television during the first two years of life, and there is no credible evidence that babies and toddlers learn anything useful from screens.
Still, 48 percent of parents believe that baby videos are beneficial to child development.
And, only 6 percent of American parents know that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no screen time for children under 2.
By the age of three months, 40 percent of infants are watching screen media regularly. By the time children are 3, the number jumps to 90 percent.
Nineteen percent of babies one year and under have a TV in their bedroom.
Visit www.commercialfreechildhood.org for more information.

October 26th, 2009 | Category: Uncategorized