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Can television harm my baby’s development?
It is advised that children under the age of 2 do not watch television. Between the ages of 2 and 3, it is recommended that children watch no more than an hour of television a day. Toddlers require at least three hours of physical exercise per day to help with their development, and the recommendations regarding limiting the amount of TV they watch per day recognises that physical play is better for a child’s mental and emotional development. Watching television is also a passive activity – as children need interaction with others to learn how to talk and relate to people, time spent talking to your little one is also very good for development. However, carefully selecting the right programmes and watching the television with your child, and encouraging them to ask questions about what is happening on the screen, can also be beneficial for them.