elevision can be a powerful teacher (17). Watching Sesame Street is an example of how toddlers can learn valuable lessons about racial harmony, cooperation, kindness, simple arithmetic and the alphabet through an educational television format. Some public television programs stimulate visits to the zoo, libraries, bookstores, museums and other active recreational settings, and educational videos can certainly serve as powerful prosocial teaching devices

The educational value of Sesame Street, has been shown to improve the reading and learning skills of its viewers (18). In some disadvantaged settings, healthy television habits may actually be a beneficial teaching tool (17).

High school programs promoting media awareness have been shown to be beneficial (4). They give students more understanding of how the media may affect them socially.

More than four in 10 (43%) of children under the age of 2 watch TV every day and nearly one in five (18%) watch videos or DVDs every da

ver the last three decades many studies have focused on television and children, with a fair amount of emphasis on preschool-aged children. To date, infants and toddlers have received limited attention. This is starting to change given the big boom in programs and products directed at the very young -

Programs that are well designed and take into consideration children's developmental stages are more likely to have educational merit than shows not geared toward their healthy growth