A new study published in the journal Child Development shows homes with a T.V. always on may harm a young child's ability to focus--even if they're not actually watching it.
Fifty one-, two- and three-year-olds were studied for one hour in a lab setting. During this time, researchers played the intellectual game show Jeopardy on a nearby television while the children played with age-appropriate toys.
Despite offering little in the way of interest for the children, the show did not appear to simply fade into the background for them. Rather, children of all ages played for shorter time periods and focused on their playing for less time, even if they did not appear to pay attention to the television.
FULL TEXT: The Effects of Background Television on the Toy Play Behavior of Very Young Children (PDF)