Picking programming: My piece in today's Washington Post

I'm excited to report that I've got an article in the Outlook section of The Washington Post today. It's about how parents -- myself included -- need to select videos and TV programs for their children that take into account what their children can actually comprehend and make the most of.

In the final copy edit, however, a couple of sentences were cut. One noted that, according to well-designed studies, the social and academic gains that preschool-age children receive from Sesame Street may last through high school. The other sentence described the ills of background TV.

Here they are, for the sake of posterity:

It’s the same with Sesame Street. Many parents of infants figure that if
the show’s good for preschoolers, it’s probably good for a 10-month-old, too.
But that’s just not true, says Rosemarie Truglio, vice president for education
and research for Sesame Street. Yes, well-designed studies have shown that the
program’s academic and social benefits last into the high school years,
regardless of family income or education. But the show isn’t designed to be
comprehensible to children younger than 2.

Finding good programming for young children isn’t just about public television. And it’s certainly not about leaving PBS on regardless of whether the kids are watching (a strategy I've heard from few parents). Studies show that background TV can lead children to bop distractedly from one toy to another, and it could interfere with speech and language development.