Screen Time: How Electronic Media--From Baby Videos to Educational Software--Affects Your Young Child

This volume examines the effects of video and TV on the developing minds of children. The author explains how parents can navigate through a TV, DVD and video game market that has only begun developing its potential and expanding its influence on children. She focuses on infants to five-year-olds and explores what exactly is "educational" about educational media. She examines how play and language development are affected by background and foreground television and how to choose videos that are age-appropriate. She explains how to avoid the hype of "brain stimulation" and focus instead on social relationships and the building blocks of language and literacy. Along the way, the author highlights independent research on shows ranging from Dora the Explorer to Dragon Tales, debating on screen media and child brain development.