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Into the Minds of Babes: How Screen Time Affects Children from Birth to Age Five Hardcover – September 10, 2007

by Lisa Guernsey (Author)

4.3 39 ratings

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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.

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.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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

From the Publisher

"Reasoned and thorough...this is the book we've been waiting for!"--David W. Kleeman, President, American Center for Children and Media

"Guernsey's exploration of the world of electronic media and its positive and negative impact on young children is one we will all benefit from."--Robert Kesten, Executive Director, Center for SCREEN-TIME Awareness

"Written with passion and precision, humor and humility, Into the Minds of Babes is a calming and reassuring new resource for parents."--Claire Green, President, Parents' Choice Foundation

"This journey into the best research on the impact of media on young children will serve as an essential guide to all those who care about kids."--Ellen Galinsky, President, Families and Work Institute

"Every parent knows that today's young children are immersed in media in unprecedented ways. Is the ubiquity reason for new concern about a lessening of parent engagement or cause for optimism about the educative possibilities? Into the Minds of Babes is a thoroughly researched, sensibly balanced and beautifully written account of the growing role children's media play in contemporary society. It is a must read for those who wish to understand the rich and subtle ways media are influencing younger and younger children's lives every day."--Michael H. Levine, PhD, Executive Director, The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop

About the Author

Lisa Guernsey is an education, science, and technology writer who has contributed to the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Chronicle of Higher Education. A former reporter on technology and education for the New York Times, she lives in Alexandria, Virginia, with her husband and two children.

Print length

287 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Basic Books
Publication date

September 10, 2007
Grade level

11 and up
Reading age

13 years and up
Dimensions

6.5 x 0.5 x 9.5 inches
ISBN-10

0465027989
ISBN-13

978-0465027989
See all details

Lisa Guernsey
42
Paperback
70 offers from $1.25

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Basic Books; 1st edition (September 10, 2007)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 287 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0465027989
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0465027989
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 13 years and up
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 11 and up
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.2 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 0.5 x 9.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #4,823,966 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,796 in TV History & Criticism
- #5,751 in Medical Child Psychology
- #6,592 in Popular Child Psychology

Customer Reviews:
4.3 39 ratings

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Lisa Guernsey

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Lisa Guernsey is Deputy Director of the Education Policy Program and Director of the Learning Technologies Project at New America, a think tank in Washington, DC. She leads teams of writers and analysts to tell stories, examine policies and generate ideas for new approaches to help disadvantaged students succeed.

Prior to her work at New America, Lisa worked as a staff writer at The New York Times and The Chronicle of Higher Education. She has also contributed to several national publications, including The Atlantic, The Washington Post, Newsweek, Time, Slate, and USA TODAY, and she is the co-author of Tap, Click, Read: Growing Readers in a World of Screens (Wiley/Jossey-Bass, 2015) and author of Screen Time: How Electronic Media – From Baby Videos to Educational Software – Affects Your Young Child (Basic Books, 2012). She won a 2012 gold Eddie magazine award for a School Library Journal article on e-books and has served on several national advisory committees on early education, including the Institute of Medicine's Committee on the Science of Children Birth To Age 8. Lisa holds a master’s in English/American studies and a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Virginia. Lisa lives in Alexandria, Virginia with her two daughters.

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Diana M. Thomas

Is TV bad? Not a black and white answer

Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2008

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.

4 people found this helpful

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S. Perkins

Thorough and Enlightening Information for Parents

Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2008

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.

7 people found this helpful

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TeachingMom

It seemed like she mostly reported on a lot of work others ...

Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2015

Verified Purchase

This wasn't for me. It seemed like she mostly reported on a lot of work others have done, and I came away from it with a sense that it was a privileged "soccer mom" kind of perspective. There is good stuff here, I just wasn't comfortable with the lens from which it was being viewed.

2 people found this helpful

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Vanessa E Christie

Thought provoking

Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2013

Verified Purchase

A very interesting read for parents and those educating small children. Full of insightful information about early childhood development. I highly recommend this book.

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SUPERCAT

Balanced sober view on TV for babies, toddlers and young kids

Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2016

Verified Purchase

I love this book. I recommend it for all parents with infants or toddlers. It will dispel any irrational fears of TV rotting your children's brains, which we were all brained-washed with when we ourselves were kids. However, it also gives you a balanced view on how much TV a kid should watch. It doesn't try pretend that TV is virtuous either. While electronic media can be a very effective mode of learning, the author reminds us that there are other forms of learning . It just gives you the plan facts based on scientific studies.

One person found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

An informative, easy to read book for parents and caregivers

Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2012

Verified Purchase

This book provided an accessible overview of the research on young children and screen time. The author takes a balanced approach and has the credibility of being a real mom herself. Her framework of content, context and the individual child is a great way for parents to make decisions in real life about what children watch and interact with on TV and digital devices.

One person found this helpful

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Happy Librarian

This is a fantastic read for all parents and educators of young children

Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2015

Verified Purchase

This is a fantastic read for all parents and educators of young children. Lisa distills the science into easily understood chapters. This was well worth the price!

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Adrianna

Damaged book don’t buy

Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2018

Verified Purchase

The product was damaged when I got it! I bought this book new! I am very upset