It is beneficial for kids to watch TV as long as parents watch with them.

Question

There’s a mounting body of evidence that screen time might not be that bad if you are watching along with your preschool or elementary school-aged child. On the contrary, as long as you are an active participant, it can have multiple beneficial effects.
Some of the benefits include: 

• Enhanced Learning
• Encouragement of active viewing
• Help kids learn self-regulation
• And pointing out stereotypes 

Answer 1

The information in the article is accurate. In an article written by a group of Canadian paediatricians (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5823000/), there have been many studies about how children are affected being in the presence of their parents. This article confirms that children during important developmental years begin to form habits and pick up on many things that their parents do around them. The fact that their parents would be present while watching educational tv shows for example, could help the information become reinforced to the child. Along with the fact that this article has been written by a group of paediatricians, it was published through a government website, further backing up the validity of the information within the article.

Comments

You did a really good job elaborating on this topic. I also found that there are many other positive impacts on watching TV shows with your child, such as creating a bonding experiences, getting kids to open up about things and more.

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Agree when you say that children to pick up habits from the tv and it can affect how they behave and having a parent there with to kind of guide them through the show is good. But as a child for me I would just want to watch my show in peace and not be bothered.

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I appreciate that you went in depth in the topic, and provided useful information to prove that the claim is correct, as well as citing your sources. Although, when i click on the source you provided, it says the page is not available and the url may be incorrect. It would have been nice to hear more about some of the data collected from the studies.

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I 100% agree with you on this. Children are incredibly smart when it comes down to picking up habits and overall learning. The idea of being in family and watching tv as you learn new skills seems like hitting two birds with one stone so!

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I agree with your statement. Thank you for highlighting the importance of EDUCATIONAL tv. I'm sure the study exists and this may be an me issue but when I clicked your link it said page not available. I tried to google the study you are referencing and I couldn't find it :( Again I agree with your statement it's very important to have a parent available especially if the child is interested in the topic and wants to ask further questions!

Answer 2

I declare this claim to be factual. To prove this, I investigated the people behind this article to try and confirm if they’re qualified professionals and if they are, in general, real people. I did this mainly because a lot of quotes used came from the authors themselves and it’s important to make sure they’re real qualified professionals in their field. All links to LinkedIn profiles are embedded in the person’s name. The article was written by Juliann Garey, a Columbian University graduate journalist. The experts involved in the creation of this article include Matthew H. Rouse, who is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist from MPACT (Manhattan Parent Adolescent & Child Therapy). The other clinical expert listed in the article is Catherine Steiner-Adair who graduated from Harvard University Graduate School of Education. The article does include quotes from an interview with Shelley Pasnik, whose the EDC (Education Development Center) senior vice president. The interview that includes quotes from Pasnik can be found here, and is a little dated, from 2017. Overall, the information does align with the headline and claim being made. I say this claim is true.

Rating: Not misinformation

Answer 3

This claim and information in the article is true. Child Mind Institute is a non-profit organization that provides scientific, research-based, and unbiased information. Within the article it references Clinical Expertise Matthew H. Rouse and Catherine Steiner-Adair. They are both certified clinical psychologist and Catherine, therefore giving them authorization to be providing facts on this topic

Comments

I see that you mentioned the Child Mind Institute as a source, which is solid, but you didn’t really explain what makes them credible. Just saying they’re a non-profit doesn't necessarily mean they’re completely unbiased. Have you looked into who funds them or if they have any particular focus that might affect the information they put out? It would help to know a bit more about where their information comes from.

Answer 4

The claim that co-viewing television with children enhances their learning is accurate and also supported by HealthyChildren.org. Studies show that when parents and kids watch media together, the kids' understanding and memory of the content improves. In this article by Megan Moreno, MD, models the idea that everyone should use the internet and technology responsibly and discusses the value of co viewing as a way to create meaningful connections with children, build trust and encourage open conversations. Dr. Megan Moreno is highly qualified due to her leadership roles in social media and youth mental health research, as well as her experience in pediatrics and media use among children. The article provided was written by Juliann Garey, who is highly qualified to talk about the advantages of co-viewing due to her background in teaching courses through the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies Department at the NYU Langone School of Medicine.   

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/family-life/Media/Pages/why-co-viewing-is-important-tips-to-share-screen-time-with-your-kids.aspx 

Comments

I think you found a great source that backs up the claim. However, the claim is too vague, and your source supports that as well. Dr. Moreno outlines precise guidelines and tools parents should use and adhere to to reap the benefits of co-viewing. Simply watching TV with your child is not what Dr. Moreno claims is beneficial.

Answer 5

The claim, "It is beneficial for children to watch TV as long as their parents are watching it with them", is true!

childmind.org/article/benefits-watching-tv-young-children/

The website above is a Parents Television and Media Council (PTMC) which is a nonprofit, educational organization. Their goal is to protect children and their growing minds, I also dig a little deeper and found out that when this organization first started their cofounder, Steve Allen, helped clean up daily TV and geared it away from sexual exploitation and violence; this was to make TV safer and more accessible for children.

In this article about watching TV with your children, they talk about a lot of great points to support their claim, such as:

- Self regulation for children

- Discussing stereotypes in TV

- Encouragement to be active/ participation in listening

- Turning screen time into a healthy habit instead of doom scrolling/watching

The points made in this article articulate deeper thinking and help others understand that not all is negative.

Comments

Really good of you to dig deep with your research, specifically with findings from another educational organization.  I think as long as a parent or guardian is present with a child while they watch some form of television, it is easy to guide what they can or cannot see and uphold certain regulations when it comes to their childs safety.