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But is a child’s fascination with the screen a cause or an effect of attention problems — or both? It’s a complicated question that researchers are still struggling to tease out.

Television (TV) has its good side.  It can be entertaining and educational, and can open up new worlds for kids, giving them a chance to travel the globe, learn about different cultures, and gain exposure to ideas they may never encounter in their own community.  Shows with a prosocial message can have a positive effect on kids' behavior; programs with positive role models can influence viewers to make positive lifestyle changes.  However, the reverse can also be true:  Kids are likely to learn things from TV that parents don't want them to learn.  TV can affect kids' health, behavior and family life in negative ways.

We don't know yet what effect TV-viewing by babies may have on their development.  We do know that time spent watching TV replaces time spent interacting with caregivers and other children.  Social interaction is critical to a baby's healthy development.

Some studies link early TV viewing with later attention problems, such as ADHD.  However, other experts disagree with these results.  One study found that TV viewing before age three slightly hurt several measures of later cognitive development, but that between ages three and five it slightly helped reading scores [11].