Super-genius or Zombie?

Mariam Akabor sets out to discover exactly how TV affects babies and toddlers.

When Zayd was born my husband and I were in a for a reality shock. He wouldn’t sleep for more than forty-five minutes at a time and when he was awake, he was crying. We had tried everything: pushing him in the pram, car drives, a fancy baby swing, swaddling, massaging him after his bath, and we even downloaded white noise. Then one day, despite my protests, my husband placed six-week-old Zayd in front of the TV and something miraculous happened. His gaze was transfixed to the screen and he was awed. There was actual peace and quiet in our home and we loved it. But something gnawed at my maternal conscience. My biggest fear was that he would become addicted to the box and other activities, like reading and playing outdoors, wouldn’t interest him as he grew older.

At one year, Zayd no longer requires the TV to keep him calm. Yet the question of whether to allow him to watch a bit still bothers me. Hundreds of articles have been written about the pros and cons of allowing babies to watch TV yet without the empirical data to endorse these claims it is very difficult for concerned parents to make an informed decision. I decided to embark on my own little journey of discovery.

Cognitive Development
Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development in children starts with the sensorimotor stage, which lasts from birth up until two years of age. Infants discover the world around them by seeing, smelling, touching, hearing, tasting, sucking, grasping and looking. As children grow older, up until the age of six, the preoperational stage sets in where they are still developing but are unable to perform mental operations. Basically, the child cannot think logically nor can they understand the concept of other points of views.

The American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) recommends no television to babies under the age of two. This caveat was first issued in 1999, encouraging parents and caregivers to interact directly with infants to promote healthy brain growth and the development of cognitive skills. However, very few parents have been found to strictly follow this guideline. Is it because of the effective marketing from toy companies that encourage parents to obtain the latest educational media with the belief that it will help our babies thrive? More importantly, can our kids comprehend the content and learn from TV and video at a young age?

The Teletubbies Test
Daniel Anderson, a psychology professor at the University of Massachusetts, was determined to find out if babies could make sense of what they saw on the Teletubbies, an award-winning popular children’s program designed for 9-month to 36-month-old children. Anderson and a colleague doctored a ten-minute segment from the program. They cut them into pieces lasting six seconds each and rearranged their order so that the narrative made no logical sense. Then they showed the normal and the distorted versions of the program to the babies and noted their responses. Babies around the 6-12 months were not fazed by the unintelligible sequence of shots; babies around 18-months could discriminate to a certain degree and the 24-month-old babies could clearly notice the difference between the two versions. These findings show that babies under a year are not able to understand the relationship between shots and are not constructing any kind of narrative understanding of what they are seeing (Guernsey, 2007).
So babies under a year may not be able to follow a storyline, but what about grasping simple actions and words?

The Video Deficit Phenomenon
A group of toddlers were shown a video of a person performing an act in an experiment. Another group of toddlers watched the same act being performed live by an adult. Thereafter the toddlers were tested on their ability to perform the act. The result? The children who watched the act being performed live were able to imitate it quicker than those who watched the video. The toddlers who watched the video eventually could perform the act, but after repeated screenings.

Marina Krcmar, an associate professor at Wake Forest University, explains this concept called the video deficit, which is “the tendency for infants and toddlers to learn significantly more effectively from live information than they do when identical information is presented on a screen” (2009). This phenomenon has been found in word learning experiments. Even if the video is created to make it feel as though the person is present with the baby in the room, children learn better, particularly language, when they are being spoken to live.

In an experiment to investigate whether babies as young as 9 months could distinguish the phonemes of Mandarin, one group of babies listened to an adult reading to them in Mandarin whilst the other group watched the same stories on a video. The first group were successful in being able to recognise Mandarin phonemes within two months whilst the latter couldn’t recognise any at all.

In another study, Krcmar and her colleagues used the Teletubbies to test if children aged 16-24 months could learn a new word from the program. The results indicated that children up until the age of 22 months could not learn a new word from the program despite their ability to learn the same word quite readily from an adult person live (Krcmar, 2009).

But what do the results of these studies mean for us as parents?

The Harvard Study
Over a period of three years, researchers at Children’s Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School analysed data of more than 800 children, charting their exposure to TV from the time they were born up until the age of two. The result? TV viewing before the age of two does not improve their language and visual motor skills (ScienceDaily, 2009). So if you place your baby in front of the TV hoping that s/he is going to improve their language and visual motor skills, think again. They are better off interacting directly with their mother/caregiver and learn better by using their senses as mentioned in Piaget’s theory. However, researchers also found that there was no detriment to the child although they are quick to encourage the No-TV-Under-Two policy as recommended by the AAP.

But there is another reason why babies shouldn’t be exposed to too much of TV. Elizabeth Vandewater, a researcher from the University of Texas, found two main concerns emerging from children watching TV: they spent less time with parents doing other activities and they spent less time engaged in creative play. An hour a day of television viewing among 0-2 year olds was linked to a 9 percent reduction in creative play during the week and 11 percent reduction on the weekend (Guernsey, 2007). For any parent, this should be a clear warning.

Whether your son decides to become a doctor for the day and makes his teddy bears his patients, or whether your daughter decides to play dress up and wears your jewellery, your child is gaining new skills by pretending. Children learn how to solve problems and make choices when they pretend play and this is a vital part of their development and no amount of TV can be a substitute for this.

So does this mean that your child shouldn’t ever be exposed to children’s programs?

The Three C’s
Lisa Guernsey, author of Into the Minds of Babes (Basic Books, 2007), an education and technology journalist and mother herself, travelled countrywide, attending child development conferences, visiting infant-perception labs and interviewing specialists, in an attempt to discover the impact of TV on kids. She believes there is no straightforward response to answering the question Is TV bad for my kids?

Not all kids react the same towards TV. Some may be glued to it the minute it’s switched on whilst others’ attention will be diverted within seconds. Some may get hyperactive whilst others will fall asleep. Between 24 months and 30 months, something changes within toddlers. According to Daniel Anderson, there is a shift in their understanding. At 30 months a child is able to understand simple stories and thus follow a program with interest, something they couldn’t do just six months before. Toddlers at this age are able to overcome their video deficit and benefit from educational TV. Guernsey names a few top-rated children’s programs like Sesame Street, Dora the Explorer, Barney, Blue’s Clues, Dragon Tales and Mister Rogers, which have been proven scientifically to help children academically and socially. These programs implement repetition and linear narratives, making it simpler for children to understand. Many children’s programs consult with experts in education and psychology, a fact that parents can be pleased about.

One of the most startling discoveries from Guernsey’s book is the impact of background TV on a child. Do you know how sometimes you may leave the TV on without paying much attention to it and continue with your day’s activities? Studies have shown the negative impact of background TV and how it affects “children’s growth in their youngest years: their ability to engage in pretend play, their interactions with their parents, and their efforts to learn language” (Guernsey, 2007).

Guernsey tells parents to remember the three C’s – content, context and your child when deciding whether to allow your child to watch TV. Is the content of the program age-appropriate? Does it include too many cuts and flashes? Will my child be over-stimulated by it? The key, Guernsey says, is moderation. While the parent-child interaction is the highest form of enrichment for babies, it is not always possible for mothers to be interacting with their children at all times. So the next time I switch on The Teletubbies for Zayd while I scramble to prepare lunch, I won’t be feeling guilty.

This article was published in Living and Loving (October 2010).

Top Ten Islamic Entertainment for Kids

Ismail Kamdar –
Muslim Matters – 6 July 2010

I have two little boys (and a third one on the way) and I am always worried about what they watch on television. I do not stop my children from watching television completely as I feel that has negative results, but I have provided a controlled environment in which they only watch DVDs and programs which I have approved. Although, I let them watch a few animated movies, especially those by Pixar, I am always on the look out for quality Islamic shows for my children to watch and enjoy.
When I was a child, there was barely any Islamic media available for kids. I grew up listening to Zain Bhikha and Dawud Wharnsby’s nasheeds but that was all I had. Alhamdulillah, all that has changed as more Muslims have realized the importance of Islamic media and in the past few years, many products for children have been produced.
Thus I have compiled a list of my favorite Islamic entertainment products for children to share with other parents who have similar concerns. People may differ over the permissibility of these products (music, animation, etc) but this is not the forum for that. Please click here for afatwa on this issue on music in television shows, and here for a fatwa about animation for children.

10. The Lion of Ain Jaloot
This is a one hour animated movie about the early wars between the Muslims and the Mongols. It focuses on the story of Saifudeen Khutuz (pronounced Khotos in the movie) from childhood until he leads the Muslims to their first victory over the Mongols. The problem with this movie is that the animation is a bit outdated and the voices are not in sync with the lips of the characters. However, what I really enjoy about this movie is that it gives you a chance to teach and discuss many important aspects of Islamic history with your children. One of the scenes in this movie is the sacking of Baghdad which is a very important event in the history of Islamic scholarship. This movie opens the doors to discuss such historical events with your children.

9. Harun Yahya’s nature documentaries
Children love animals and nature (at least my kids do), and as such I feel much more at ease letting them watch Harun Yahya’s nature documentaries rather than those of Non-Muslims. Now the Non-Muslim produced animal documentaries are good but the advantage of the Harun Yahya DVDs is that he always links everything back to Allah and Islam. It is a beautiful way for children to learn about Islam and nature at the same time.

8. Nasheed Videos
This is a controversial area as there are so many different opinions regarding what is permissible or not in terms of nasheeds. Going with the majority view that wind and string instruments are prohibited, as is acting like you are in a rock video, there are still many Islamic nasheed videos you can let your children watch. I have a collection ofnasheed videos by various artists like Zain Bhikha, Ahmed Bukhatir and Native Deen which I let my children watch as well a collection of nasheed performances on stage (call it a concert or whatever you like) without instruments (except a drum sometimes) or screaming girls in the crowd (I don’t approve of that).
My children’s first word was Allah which they repeated after hearing it in almost every nasheed, one of their first sentences was Laa Ilaaha Illallah which they learned from the song ‘Al-Khaliq’ and the list of good things they have learned from these songs can go on and on. Thus far, I have seen only good results from raising my children with nasheeds, but that is a decision for parents to make based on the opinion they follow aboutnasheeds and music.

7. Stories of the Prophets – Yusuf Estes
PEACE TV has produced some of the best Islamic shows for children. The first one to make this list is Stories of the Prophets. Yusuf Estes is perfect as an Islamic teacher for children, looking like a jolly grandfather and with a very good sense of humor, he keeps the children entertained while teaching them the stories of the prophets (peace be upon them) and many valuable lessons from each story. This is a very important show to let your children watch and one of many reasons why I recommend PEACE TV for every Muslim home.

6. Whiz Kids – Wonder Kids
Other entertaining shows on PEACE TV are Whiz Kids and Wonder Kids, both feature performances by the children of the IIS (International Islamic School) in which the children deliver lectures, sing nasheeds, act out plays and overall provide good entertainment and lessons for children. I really like these shows because they provide positive role models for Muslim children, as your children can grow up watching practicing Muslim children on television.

5. Hooray for Baba Ali
Young people and teenagers are entertained and learn a lot through Baba Ali’s Reminder series, but for the little ones, there is Hooray for Baba Ali. A series of short videos in which Baba Ali entertains the kiddies by behaving like a child (more like a Muslim version of Mr. Bean) while teaching them many important lessons including obedience to parents, cleanliness, kindness to animals and so much more. The DVD of this series released by1Islam productions has some bonus nasheed videos which the children really love.

4. The Boy and the King
One of my favorite stories of all time, narrated in Saheeh Muslim and the Tafseer of Surah Buruj, the story of the boy and the king is full of great moral lessons. That is why this is one of my favorite Islamic movies ever. At a full feature length of one and a half hours, this movie tells the story of the boy who stood up against the king and his sorcerer and all the adventures that ensued. The movie’s animation is a bit outdated but it does not matter much because that is made up for with quality voice acting, a well written script and many morals and lessons for the entire family. This movie I recommend the entire family to watch together, not just for the kids.

3. Muhammad (pbuh): The Final Prophet
It is hard to choose between the Message, the Final Legacy (series on Islam Channel) or the animated movie Muhammad: The Final Prophet. All three tell the Seerah beautifully, but since this is a list for children, I will go with the animated movie as the best way to teach your children the basic Seerah. The movie is well-animated, has good voice acting, an excellent script and tells all the major events of the Seerah with many moral lessons in just one and a half hours. I find this movie perfect as an introduction to the Seerah for children, Non-Muslims and new converts.

2. The Zaky Series
1Islam Productions’ child division One4Kids have hired quality animators to put together a series of DVDs with an Islamic ethos about a purple bear named Zaky. There is so much to praise about this series. The animation is of the highest quality, the knowledge passed on is approved by scholars and authentic, there are no musical instruments and it is very well scripted. The best DVD in this series thus far is “Time to Pray with Zaky” which teaches children how to perform Wudhu, Tayyamum and Salah as well as many other lessons along the way. This DVD taught my children how to pray before they were two years old and at the moment they are learning theirduas and surahs from this movie. If you don’t have this DVD in your collection, get it now. At the moment, we are eagerly awaiting the DVD release of the next Zaky movie in which he deals with protecting the environment.

1. Enjoying Islam with Zain and Dawud
Another PEACE TV production, this is a very high quality TV show, which I love watching with my children. This show stars Zain Bhikha, Dawud Wharnsby and five wonderful Muslim children in a library in which they discussed many important Islamic topics using many creative means and of course many nasheeds (with no instruments except the duff). The show has a catchy theme song which gets my children excited and glued to the TV, it has a brightly colored set, brilliant actors and in every episode your children will learn many valuable Islamic lessons. Yet another reason to have PEACE TV in your home.

http://muslimmatters.org/2010/07/06/top-ten-islamic-entertainment-for-kids/