Into the Minds of Babes: How Screen Time Affects Children from Birth to Age Five [Bargain Price] [Hardcover]

Lisa Guernsey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 10, 2007

As a mother, Lisa Guernsey wondered about the influence of television on her two young daughters. As a reporter, she resolved to find out. What she first encountered was tired advice, sensationalized research claims, and a rather draconian mandate from the American Academy of Pediatrics: no TV at all before the age of two. But like many parents, she wanted straight answers and realistic advice, so she kept digging: she visited infant-perception labs and child development centers around the country. She interviewed scores of parents, psychologists, cognitive scientists, and media researchers, as well as programming executives at Noggin, Disney, Nickelodeon, Sesame Workshop, and PBS. Much of what she found flies in the face of conventional wisdom and led her to conclude that new parents will be best served by focusing on “the three C’s”: content, context, and the individual child.

Advocating a new approach to television and DVDs, Guernsey focuses on infants to five-year-olds and goes beyond the headlines to explore what exactly is “educational” about educational media. She examines how play and language development are affected by background and foreground television and how to choose videos that are age-appropriate. She explains how to avoid the hype of “brain stimulation” and focus instead on social relationships and the building blocks of language and literacy. Along the way, Guernsey highlights independent research on shows ranging from Dora the Explorer to Dragon Tales, and distills some surprising new findings in the field of child development. Into the Minds of Babes is a fascinating book that points out how little credible research exists to support the AAP’s dire recommendation. Parents, teachers, and psychologists will be relieved to learn positive approaches to using videos with young children and will be empowered to make their own informed choices. 

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A science journalist and mother of two, Guernsey manages to extricate straightforward information and guidelines from the morass of research, articles and debates on screen media and child brain development. Easily digestible chapters are smartly structured around 12 pervasive concerns of interviewees from all walks of life. Guernsey explains how parents can shrewdly navigate a TV, DVD and video game market that has only begun developing its potential, much like the minds of the children it targets. Wisely sticking to manageable and legitimate solutions suitable for parents who don't see abstention as an option, Guernsey encourages parents to balance TV-watching with creative play and parent-child bonding time. The three Cs approach—considering content, context and child when making decisions about media-watching—is easily understood and adaptable to any family situation. (Sept.)
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Review

"...balanced, lucid ...a worthwhile book...Relying on dozens of scientific studies Ms. Guernsey explores the intricacies of trying to unpick the complicated weave of what goes on inside the head of a 1 - 2 year-old child crouched before a glowing screen." -- Wall Street Journal, December 13, 2007

"...fascinating and terrific new book...Guernsey doesn't take sides, but she raises more than enough questions (and thoughtful and lived solutions) that by the end of this informative, personable book I was glad to defer, once again, to my wife's good judgment in keeping the idiot box far from my daughters wandering eyes." -- New York Post, September 16, 2007

"As a parent of two young TV-watching girls, this former New York Times reporter attacks established myths, alleviates paranoia and finds a common-sense solution for how much television, if any, kids should watch." -- St. Petersburgh SunTimes, September 30, 2007

"Journalist and mother Lisa Guernsey probes the powerful effects of video and TV on the developing mind. Brilliantly researched and engagingly written, Into the Minds of Babes answers the question that pediatricians, parents, and producers have wanted to know...will early childhood media create a new generation of baby Einsteins or baby zombies?" -- Neil Izenberg, M.D., FAAP, Pediatrician and Editor-in-Chief, KidsHealth.org

"Research can be confusing and contradictory yet this book is anything but. Distilling what we know about young children and media while sharing her experiences as a parent, Guernsey is an able guide." -- Shelley Pasnik, Director, Center for Children and Technology

"This is a wonderfully accessible book. Lisa Guernsey has offered a well reasoned explanation of the evidence on young children and media." -- Ellen Wartella, Professor, Executive Vice-Chancellor and Provost, University of California at Riverside

"A gift to parents..." -- Television Quarterly magazine, Winter 2008

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 287 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books (September 10, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0465027989
• ASIN: B001KOTUE2
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #687,025 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lisa Guernsey is a national education, technology and science writer who has worked at the Chronicle of Higher Education and the New York Times. In 2009, she became a senior policy analyst at New America Foundation, a think tank and incubator for explanatory and investigative journalism. She focuses on early education and is a regular contributor to the Early Ed Watch blog. She lives with her husband and two young daughters in Alexandria, Va.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read For Anyone With a Child and a TV September 28, 2007

By E. Dillow

Format:Hardcover

Most of the mothers I know are aware of the somewhat draconian guidelines issued by the American Academy of Pediatricians regarding children under 2 and TV-watching (don't let them, ever) and turn on Sesame Street anyway, fighting the urge to look over their shoulder to see which AAP spy is waiting to catch them and call "bad mama!" Lisa Guernsey's book gets to the bottom of the multitude of studies conducted on the effects of TV/media and children, explaining the most recent scholarly research in non-patronizing ways. By addressing some of the most debated/unresolved fears parents have when it comes to TV, she provides a practical guide to good decision making about media use and a wildly fascinating look at how young children develop cognitively, all without being boring.

Which, of course, is a huge plus, wouldn't you say?

Highly recommended to anyone who wonders about the effect of TV--you might be surprised by her findings!

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely practical advice September 21, 2007

By C. Storer

Format:Hardcover

With two preschoolers, I'm always looking for practical advice to manage the chaos. This book was both interesting and comforting, with a "real world" perspective on what screen time means in the American family. The book has a thoughtful discussion of the brouhaha raised by the American Academy of Pediatrics pronouncement that children under 2 should have ZERO time in front of the television. The intriguing result of Guernsey's research? The AAP made the pronouncement with no scientific basis, just the thought that eliminating screen time was bound to increase beneficial interactive time between parents/caregivers and children. Definitely worth a read by parents of young children.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Thorough and Enlightening Information for Parents August 15, 2008

By S. Perkins

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I found this book very helpful in sorting out all of the fragmented information I had about the effect of television on children. It was a quick read, and her writing style was engaging.

"Into the Minds of Babes" reinforced some of the choices I already am making about my daughter's TV time (Dragontales, Blue's Clues), and made me rethink others (Shrek, Finding Nemo). It helped me to see the television from a kid's point of view and think about what messages my daughter is receiving from the shows she watches. It also reinforced what I already thought about the bad effects of "background TV".

I walked away from reading this book better informed and armed with a great deal of useful information for making good viewing choices in the future. I would recommend it to any parent or caregiver.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Is TV bad? Not a black and white answer June 7, 2008

By Diana M. Thomas

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book was first of all interesting and I read it cover to cover in spite of being exhausted (I have 3 small kids). I always felt guilty letting my children watch television, but this book had a wealth of information explaining that its not black and white. Now I'm very careful what I let my daughters watch but less anxious about how much they watch as long as they do not forgo playing outside when the opportunity arises. The best part of this book was the description on the lack of evidence on the connection between ADHD and television viewing. It eased my mind that I'm not destroying their future by letting them watch Dora or Dragontales and in fact may be even helping them educationally and socially. I also was struck by the lack of effect television has on pre-6 month olds. The book made me examine critically what media in general my children are ready for. Is my daughter really ready for computer games?

I obviously loved this book and I bought this book for my sons teacher as a gift since she has a new baby.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Just the right mix of research and anecdotes September 20, 2007

By E. Jones

Format:Hardcover

Ms. Guernsey tackles the research, warnings, and well meaning 'advice' that parents are baraged with and presents the findings in a format that is a great mixture of research (fully annotated for those who want to delve deeper) and personal experiences of real parents.

Her writing style makes the book a joy to read, as you follow Ms. Guernsey through her journey to find answers. This is not simply another parenting book that espouses a particular path, rather it provides the tools for parents to make educated decisions.

As a busy parent, make the time to read this fascinating book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for parents who own a screen April 10, 2008

By Creator of MobiStories

Format:Hardcover

I read this book quickly because I couldn't put it down. The research and thought that went into this book are tremendous. It is well organized and unbiased. Maybe the title for this post should be "if you want to tell others how bad TV is, read this book first". The research shows that parents need to parent their kids and take responsibility for kids and their own actions. Yes, some TV is bad, but you wouldn't let your kid listen to Howard on the radio would you? Yes, some TV is good - I won't go into details but given your parental intelligence you know what choices are correct. What Ms. Guernsey does though is break down shows and types of shows for specific age groups and she provides some enlightening insights on how some shows were developed. I recommend anyone who is a parent or works in the children's world read this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book! February 17, 2008

By E.N.

Format:Hardcover

Into the Minds of Babes is a highly readable book that impresses with its lack of judgement (on a very controversial topic!) and clear information. Guernsey is able to take complicated research studies and break them down in a straightforward presentation of the facts. The author also does a great job of giving information that helps make good choices about tv without being preachy. I highly recommend this book for parents, educators, and all those involved with young children.