The Electronic Effect: Television, Video Game and Computer Exposure's Impact on Learning

"Turn off the TV, pitch the video games and unplug the computer!" Too long for a bumper sticker? Maybe. But young people spend an average of 23 hours a week in front of the television set – more time than they spend doing any other activity besides sleeping. And that's hurting our kids.

We talk about 21st century education and standards, we examine and demand research into reading pedagogy, early education, class size, site-based management and data drive reform. But how often do we demand to know the correlation between the hours our children spend engaged in front of electronic media and their reading proclivity, constructive play or basic conversation?

Any keen observer can connect the dots between 'electronic exposure' and poor child outcomes in learning and health. Our couch potatoes are getting younger every year. And empirical evidence is also beginning to accumulate that supports the long-time hypothesis that children who are exposed to too much television and video games may suffer serious and long-lasting consequences (and that's not even getting into issues of content!):

• The University of Michigan found that TV discourages reading, reduces school performance and interferes with vital social interactions.
• A new study in the journal Pediatrics finds that infants and young children who spend long hours in front of the television are far more likely to develop problems like Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, now the most common childhood behavioral disorder.
• A study by the Kaiser Family Foundation and Children's Digital Media Centers found that in "heavy TV households" 34 percent of children ages 4 to 6 can read, compared with 56 percent in homes where the TV is on less often.
• And those "Baby Einstein" videos? Research has found that the more TV and videos that infants watch, the less words they know. Being read to, on the other hand, has the opposite effect of boosting baby vocabulary.
• The American Academy of Pediatrics urges that children under 2 not be exposed to electronic media at all, and that older children be limited to no more than 1-2 hours of "quality" media a day. Instead, "encourage alternative entertainment for children, including reading, athletics, hobbies, and creative play."

We can't talk about evaluating and improving children's reading skills without also talking about preconditions for success, especially when children are young - including all the conditions that encourage or discourage them to read.

Interest must start at home – and other activities can't be considered more important than reading. A $50 video game could buy a lot of books - or go to the library, and sock that cash into the college fund.

Think about it.