Ofcom begins inquiry into effects of TV on toddlers

Pre-school programming has undergone a boom in recent years thanks to series such as Teletubbies and In The Night Garden and dedicated channels such as the BBC's CBeebies.

However, amid rising concern that television is being used by some parents as a form of babysitter, the industry regulator is carrying out a review into the potential for harm. A spokesman for Ofcom said it had been made "aware of concerns regarding TV programming aimed at very young children", and added "there are elements we are considering now".

Cable and internet channels, such as BabyFirstTV, have also emerged in recent years, offering shows 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

In a report published in July, French researchers found that watching television undermined the development of children under three, encouraged passivity, delayed language acquisition, increased agitation, reduced concentration and increased the incidence of sleep disorders. The same month, the French broadcasting authority Conseil Superior Audiovisuel (CSA) banned TV channels from marketing shows aimed at toddlers and ruled cable programmes for the very young must now come with the stark warning: "Watching television can slow the development of children under three, even when it is aimed specifically at them."

The CSA passed on the concerns to Ofcom, resulting in the current investigation. The warnings in France followed research published in the Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2007, which found that watching entertainment programmes before the age of three was linked to subsequent attention problems.

BabyFirstTV and BabyTV – screened on cable television and available online in the UK – provide programmes aimed at toddlers 24 hours a day, seven days a week. While both warn against long periods of viewing on their websites, BabyFirst claims on its US-based website that its "24/7, DVD-quality programmes transform traditional TV into an interactive and educational tool".

BabyFirstTV provides information to parents about how best to allow their children to interact with its service and advises against long periods of viewing.

But Claude Knights, director of the children's charity Kidscape, called for Ofcom to make parents aware of the dangers. He said: "It is really sad when the TV is used as a babysitter or a means of controlling very young children. There may well be parents that don't realise the cumulative effects of exposure to TV. Ofcom should state the case and give the concerns about possible harm revealed in this research."

The controller of CBeebies, Michael Carrington, defended toddler TV. "No-one can argue when they see a child's face light up watching In The Night Garden that such carefully-made programmes have done any harm," he said. "Our programmes are produced by experienced pre-school programme makers and we call on developmental and educational experts developing ideas. Guidance is also sought from the Early Learning Goals and School Curricula."