Babies & the Media

Today in my media class we discussed infants and the media. I have never really given much thought to infants and media and whether or not I will allow my children to watch TV or use other types of media. But today got me to really think about this topic. I am not a mother yet, but I want to be someday soon and I do not want to mess my children's life up at all by allowing them to watch TV or use a tablet or other media devices. I had honestly never heard of the American Academy of Pediatrics statement that states, "Television and other entertainment media should be avoided for infants and children under age 2. A child's brain develops rapidly during these first years, and young children learn best by interacting with people, not screens." After reading this I felt like I was just going to fail at parenting because I am definitely a Netflix binge watcher...This really scared me because I am sure even if I tried to not have my children watch television or other entertainment media before they are two I would end up letting them because it might be too stressful for me to not get any alone time. Learning about infants and media just makes me realize that I will need to be very careful with the amount of media I let my children view or participate in. I do not want to be a parent who allows their child to view media whenever they ask for it or even as a last resort to calm them down. I understand that every once in a while I might need to let them watch something to calm them down if I just need peace. I just do not want them to think that whenever they have a meltdown they will get to watch a TV show. I want my children to be able to learn how to regulate their emotions on their own.