Check Al Mohler's post, Television and Children - Rewiring the Brain? He addresses a study done which not only took a look at what children watch but how the mere watching of TV at a very early age may affect the way the brain develops. The article, "Early Television Exposure and Subsequent Attentional Problems in Children" traces the influence of early television exposure to the fact that "the newborn brain continues to develop rapidly through the first few years of life and that considerable plasticity exists during this period." In other words, the actual process of watching television tends to "rewire" the brains of very young children, so that they grow accustomed to visual stimulation and multiple visual exposures. As the researchers determined: "The types and intensity of visual and auditory experiences that children have early in life therefore may have profound influences on brain development."With the advent of cable, satellite TV, video cassettes, and DVDs, we entered a new era in the world of television. Instead of it being merely a device that receives transmissions through the air at specified times during the day (remember when TV stations went off the air late at night?); it has become a virtual 2-D conditioner, capable of 24/7/365 transmission. What will become of our children's children?
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