My kid watches Dora, Diego, Bubble Guppies, Sesame Street and other shows of the like. They all do a few things that makes me question your assertion that TV is passive:
1. They ask questions such as "do you see the banana?" and he points and says "Banana!".
2. They speak in both English and Spanish and teach it to the kids. he can speak more Spanish than I can (he is 2.5)
3. They teach letters, numbers, and basic math. He can count quite well (by 1, 2, and 10)
4. They teach logic and problem solving.
I have no problem with him watching these shows... I watched much less stimulating stuff... although GI Joe did teach me that knowing was half the battle.
All that said, I can easily see that parents use TV and internet WAY to much. It comes down to individuals and there is no right or wrong.
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My kid watches Dora, Diego, Bubble Guppies, Sesame Street and other shows of the like. They all do a few things that makes me question your assertion that TV is passive:
1. They ask questions such as "do you see the banana?" and he points and says "Banana!".
2. They speak in both English and Spanish and teach it to the kids. he can speak more Spanish than I can (he is 2.5)
3. They teach letters, numbers, and basic math. He can count quite well (by 1, 2, and 10)
4. They teach logic and problem solving.
I have no problem with him watching these shows... I watched much less stimulating stuff... although GI Joe did teach me that knowing was half the battle.
All that said, I can easily see that parents use TV and internet WAY to much. It comes down to individuals and there is no right or wrong.