• Fort Worth Star-Telegram / Akron Beacon Journal, Friday, April 7, 2006 11:30 AM

Many parents who for years have been purchasing educational videos for their babies are taken aback by the latest research that indicates there's no value in these products. According to Liz Stevens of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the AmericanAcademy of Pediatrics recommends that children under the age of 2 watch no TV. "Not even the stuff that has been developed specifically for them. That means no Baby Bach. No Smart Baby. No Baby Genius." Stevens explains that "Not only is there no evidence that these products make babies smarter, a recent report concludes, there's also reason to believe that, if overused, they might be harmful to a baby's growing brain." Dimitri Christakis, a professor of pediatrics at Chidren's Hospital & RegionalMedicalCenter in Seattle, says, "We've really technologized childhood, somewhat insidiously and also very, very quickly. We're in the midst of a bold national uncontrolled experiment of what the effects of all of this are, and I don't think that should be the case.... [The brain] is wiring itself, if you will, to be maximally adapted to [a child's world], and Baby Einstein is not the real world."  In response to the criticism of Christakis and others, several producers of baby videos, including Sesame Street, assert that their products are helpful to children in a myriad of ways, even if only to inspire a greater sense of wonder.

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