Tots, attention and TV

It was one of those studies that seem to confirm the obvious. University of Washington researchers have learned that mind-numbing television programs tend to numb the minds of tots. On the other hand, stimulating, educational programs tend to stimulate them.

But before anyone says, "No kidding, Sherlock," it should be added that having the data in hand — instead of simple common sense or anecdotal cases — will give parents and others more leverage in trying to make sure television executives are more responsible and that they, themselves, are more careful in monitoring what their children swallow.

The study involved children under age 3 but may have implications for everyone. Most parents steer such tiny youngsters away from the screen, but the study does offer suggestions for the exceptions. Violent, child-oriented television entertainment doubled the risk of youngsters having attention problems five years later. Even non-violent children's programs produced attention disorders. Educational television, on the other hand, had no association with attention problems in later years.

The study is a wake-up call for parents to monitor the viewing habits of their kids. And, by extension, it might serve as a warning to all people about the troubling effects that passive television watching can create.

The concern is that faster-paced action shows tend to blur the ability of kids to process information. They become a haze of inattention. Slower-paced programming allows children to digest content and see cause and effect in the actions and words of television characters.

And there is a lesson there for everyone.

In today's society, where everything moves at breakneck speed and events tumble into each other, the tendency to tune it all out is strong. Keeping life manageable may entail thinking and acting on a human scale more, and on a cosmic scale less.

It doesn't take Sherlock Holmes to know that people are bombarded with so much information it's easy and tempting to tune other people out. Learning to filter and choose, in fact, may become a necessary skill in parents — both for their children and themselves.