John North Editor & Publisher

One of the latest crazes in raising babies is the use of video flashcards in an attempt to turn them into little Einsteins, at least according to an Aug. 10 column in The New York Times.

Even though research shows most video content is meaningless to babies under a year old, parents seem to be convinced that plopping little Jacob or Emily in front of a screen chock-full of information, with Mozart symphonies playing in the background, will inject extra IQ into their fast-growing brains.

Doubtless, this also serves to pacify them as their overly ambitious parents finish flipping through Ivy League college admissions brochures, dreaming of a dazzlingly bright future for their budding genius offspring.

The Times column, written by Lisa Guernsey, makes the point that studies show parental interaction raises a young childís IQ ó not high-tech gadgetry. She is the author of the forthcoming ìInto the Minds of Babes: How Screen Time Affects Children From Birth to Age Five.î

For instance, she cites a new survey by researchers at the University of Washington who found that for every hour of a babyís video-viewing per day, childen ages eight to 16 months actually knew six to eight fewer words than those who watched no videos.

In our times, people seem to not to look before they leap on the technology bandwagon. Many parents seem hellbent on developing marketable qualities ó usually academic, athletic or artistic ó in their kids to an exponential excess, at the expense of the tried-and-true old-school way of taking time to read and play with oneís children.

The ìMozart effect,î another much-hyped phenomenon, holds that if one simply plays classical music ó especially Mozartís ó to children, their cognitive skills will permanently improve. Early studies found no such correlation with any other musical genre.

Today, however, there is much dispute among researchers on the whether the phenomenon actually exists ó and, if so, how long it lasts.

All this reminds me of early science-fiction novels I read and horror films I viewed, when I think of babies being strapped in front of a screen in a cradle and being subjected to an endless stream of input.

I worry that this is yet another step in preparing these youngster to make a lifetime habit, as do many older Americans, of voluntarily subjecting themsevles to a constant ingestion of information (not necessarily ìknowledgeî) in a passive and artificial way that ultimately will prove counterproductive.

Specifically, the possibilities of being brainwashed with propaganda are immediately apparent, as contrasted with more active and analytical processes that include interacting with the world, debating with people and reading/thinking critically.
In my view, the scenario with video flashcards comes down to the choice between a ìvirtualî life versus a more traditional, natural life.

In that respect, itís slightly reassuring that only 17 percent of babies in a recent survey were subjected to videos for an hour or more per day, according to Guernsey, who adds that the average baby watches a video between nine and 13 minutes a day, according to various surveys.

On the other hand, she notes that babiesí total screen time, including television, DVDs and even computers, is up to about 49 minutes per day.

It comes as no surprise that recent studies confirm a correlation between Attention Deficit Disorder and spending lots of time in front of a television screen before the age of seven.

Guernsey, herself a mother, noted that a daily dose of reading by parents to babies helps with language development. This old-fashioned procedure includes pointing, labeling and back-and-forth conversation, which benefits children both intellectually and emotionally. Children who just watch a flashing screen get neither the knowledge nor the love.

I agree with her bottom-line conclusion that the most effective way to bring out the best in an infant is the same as it always has been ó to read to, talk to and hold the child each day.
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John North, publisher and editor of the Daily Planet, may be contacted at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .