Many of these studies have been extremely useful, helping the AAP set clear guidelines about healthy television and media consumption for children. Some of these guidelines are quite commonplace, but others have been more controversial. In particular, the suggestion that children under the age of two watch no television at all has raised questions for parents who've heard about the educational benefits of programs like "Baby Einstein."

TV and the Developing Brain
The growing body of research focused on cognitive development and young children's television viewing supports the validity and urgency of these questions. The first three years of a child's life are an extremely important time for brain development. The brain is changing and developing rapidly and this makes it especially important to understand the cognitive impact of what young children are exposed to.

Researchers at the University of Washington, Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle, report that 59% of children under the age of two watch more than one hour of television per day even though there is no programming proven to be educational for children of this age. The aim of the study was to understand how this daily TV time affected young minds. To accomplish this, researchers controlled to eliminate the possibility that any negative effects might come simply from the displacement of developmentally helpful activities like reading. According to the study, "Parents may believe that even at young ages television generally can be educational, yet this study suggests that television for young children is not helpful for cognitive development and may indeed be harmful."