TV turns toddlers into ‘late talkers’

Sitting toddlers in front of a television or computer screen is unhelpful and may even obstruct their progress, according to a group of leading psychologists.

At the world’s biggest science forum in Vancouver, Canada, the group discussed the problem of “late talkers” — children who are slow to learn to talk and often held back in their educational development.

Studies suggest 6%-8% of all children fall into this category. Incidence rates are the same in the developed and undeveloped world.