I put off letting my kids watch TV as long as possible, working on the theory that they would soon enough get plenty of it. I've read that there are virtuous parents out there whose kids watch no TV, ever. I just don't know any of them.

Turns out I'm not alone. A new study found that 90% of children under the age of 2 are watching TV and 40% of three-month-old babies are sitting in front of the tube too-despite recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics that parents prohibit any TV watching until after age 2.

Undoubtedly, this report will prompt the usual amount of finger wagging from experts. And who can't be slightly aghast at the notion that babies are watching TV? But, it's worth asking some questions:

1. What are kids watching? Is it MTV or "Sesame Street"? And does that make a difference?

2. And if they weren't watching high quality children's TV, what would they be doing instead? (Researchers like to imagine that they'd be engaged in "meaningful play" with Mom, but if Mom is stressed out, maybe the 30 minute DVD means she won't lose her cool with them. Or maybe she'd be leaving her child in a crib, wailing, while she cleans.)

3. What about computer usage? Are "educational" computer games for toddlers any better?

Surprisingly, researchers don't have the answers to these questions yet. They know that a lot of the claims made by marketers that Baby Einstein-like videos would make their kids smarter were bogus. But the dangers of media consumption in young kids--which media is harmful and under which circumstances---is a big unknown still.

In the meantime, AAP's recommendations are being rejected by large swaths of parents. And that means some kids are probably getting way too much TV time. The prospect of 20% of young kids having a TV in their room is truly an unsettling thought. On the other hand, it says that their parents probably are watching too much TV too. And maybe we need to stop wagging our fingers at parents and look at what constitutes responsible and sensible media consumption.


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