Illustration by Jennifrer Montgomery / The Bulletin

Most young children watch TV. A lot of it. Preschoolers, on average, watch more than four hours of television a day, according to a 2011 study in the Journal of Pediatrics.

Children’s television watching has been linked with all sorts of problematic issues, from obesity to aggression to attention disorders.

For years, pediatricians have tried to encourage parents to limit screen time, but those messages haven’t completely worked. There are plenty of reasons why young children watch TV: it captures their attention, which gives parents a chance to make dinner or hop in the shower; also, television can be fun and entertaining. A new study appearing in the journal Pediatrics suggests a twist: Instead of asking parents to reduce TV time, ask them to offer better content.

Preschoolers in the study who watched shows that promote positive social and educational behaviors ended up displaying less-aggressive behaviors than those young children who watched shows with violence. The study concludes, “Although television is frequently implicated as a cause of many problems in children, our research indicates that it may also be part of the solution.”

Sierra Filucci said the results of the study rang true for those working at Common Sense Media, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that offers information and reviews about media content for kids. Filucci, the senior editor of TV and DVD with the group, said, “We weren’t surprised at all. It underlines the idea that the choices parents make about children’s media intake matters — both quantity and quality.”

She wants parents to understand the importance of what children watch. “TV is more than just entertainment — kids are absorbing all sorts of messages.”

Bend mom Tara Feurtado says this makes sense to her.

“They are sponges and they say what they see,” which can be either good or bad, depending on the message, she said.

She says her children — ages 4 and 2 — watch about four or five shows a day, but she tries to ensure the content is age-appropriate. Feurtado believes limiting access to TV would drive up the demand and make television more enticingto her kids. But because it’s not restricted in her home, they don’t overdo it. She sees some benefits: Her daughter can count in Spanish thanks to “Dora the Explorer,” and she also thinks the shows help keep her kids occupied when she needs to get ready for the day.

Feurtado, a former preschool teacher, thinks the strategy makes sense for her family, but she also isn’t confident. With a laugh, she said, “I feel like I’m screwing up my children every day.” She says she and her husband are always having the dialogue: “Is this right? Is this OK? Are we doing the right thing?” Ultimately with television, Feurtado hopes the adage about “everything in moderation” applies.

New research

In the recent study involving preschoolers and television, researchers worked with more than 500 parents and their kids ages 3 to 5 in the Seattle area. The parents of half of the children were coached in how to spot a quality TV show and were also offered programming guides and many other resources.

The children whose parents were coached ended up watching more shows with educational components and good role modeling, and fewer shows with violence than the children in the control group. After a year, the children in the intervention group ended up demonstrating less aggression and also more positive and socially competent behaviors. The researchers determined that changing the content children watch can affect behavior in a positive way. Low-income boys showed the most significant effect of the intervention.

Claire McCarthy, a doctor at Boston Children’s Hospital, believes this study can be an impetus to change how pediatricians talk about TV with parents. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children watch no more than one to two hours of TV a day. To McCarthy, this study shows that 30 minutes of violent or inappropriate programming could be worse than three hours of educational programming. “We still need to talk about reducing screen time, but it can’t be our only message,” said McCarthy. She says parents “just end up feeling guilty.”

“Concentrating on content makes more intuitive sense, and it may be easier to get parental buy-in. Right now, their eyes are glazing over and we’re not getting anywhere. If we switch to talking about content, we might be able to have a real conversation.”

Choosing content

Many shows offer educational components, especially those aimed at preschoolers and elementary-age children. Shows teach shapes, colors, letters and numbers. Others offer what is called prosocial content — these shows don’t focus on academics, but rather teach lessons about sharing, taking responsibility and being a good friend, says Filucci.

Parents can look for both of these qualities when picking a show (see “Recommendations”). “There’s lots of great stuff,” she said. “The more engaged (kids are), the more they learn.”

The key is to avoid any TV shows with violent, scary content as well as those demonstrating sexualized roles and antisocial behavior. Filucci also encourages parents to record shows and watch on-demand TV or DVDs to minimize or eliminate children’s exposure to commercials. “I absolutely recommend avoiding commercials as much as possible. The DVR is your friend,” she said. Even public television shows have extended sponsorship promotions, and other shows, like “Dora the Explorer,” are linked with all sorts of consumer products. “It’s so ubiquitous it feels overwhelming,” said Filucci.

Another pitfall she sees is parents assuming an animated show is appropriate for children. “It’s a mistake a lot of parents make,” said Filucci. Some include a lot of violence or inappropriate language. Others like “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” and “Adventure Time with Finn and Jake” are good shows, but only OK for older children, according to Filucci.

She also cautions that the popular cartoon “SpongeBob SquarePants” contains a lot of antisocial behavior and the plot’s conflicts don’t have appropriate consequences.

Other shows can also prove problematic. A newsletter given to parents in the Pediatrics study points out some of these dynamics. “Scooby-Doo” has mysteries and villains that can be scary to young children. Instead, consider “Peep and the Big Wide World.” “Yu-Gi-Oh!” also has creatures that can scare kids younger than 5; the newsletter suggests “The Zula Patrol” instead.

Complications

Selecting appropriate TV gets a bit trickier when families include kids of different ages and parents have to balance what will work for both children, according to Filucci. She says she can usually find shows to suit both of her children — ages 8 and 6 — but acknowledges it is not always easy.

Sporting events can be OK to watch together but, Filucci cautions, parents need to be careful about the commercials and advertising. Watching nature shows can be a great option for families, although some shows are more violent than others. Filucci says appropriateness in these cases is not so much based on age, but on temperament and sensitivity. Her family also likes watching food shows together. In this case, she suggests parents consider the network: Food Network’s shows are mostly family-friendly, whereas Bravo’s shows are not (the chefs’ language may be bleeped out, or they may be seen smoking).

In the best scenario, parents would watch shows alongside their children and help “insert their own values into what they see.” Parents can articulate what is going on and help shape how children view the characters and messages. But she also recognizes the ideal is “not practical in a lot of cases.”

Above all, Filucci says, “Don’t be afraid to turn something off. Kids are not going to lose out.”

Ultimately, that’s what Bend mom Kathleen Phillips decided with her own children, ages 7 and 5. When she and her husband had kids, they decided to get rid of their TV and haven’t looked back. The girls have yet to watch TV or go see a movie, although they do occasionally get to play on the computer.

Phillips believes not having a TV has led her children to not ask for many material things and thinks it contributed to them both having “incredible attention spans.” The family reads together every night and, in general, Phillips doesn’t feel like her daughters are missing out.

She encourages other parents to consider giving it a try. “I would say, if you are at all interested in trying it out, go for it! It doesn’t hurt,” said Phillips.

Recommendations

The following TV shows are highlights of recommendations by Common Sense Media (www.commonsense media.org). The list does not include shows like “Sesame Street” or “Dora the Explorer.”

Shows for preschoolers

• “Angelina Ballerina: The Next Steps” — Little precocious mouse Angelina is in training as a dancer and the show imparts social lessons to kids about cooperation and perseverance. PBS, 3 and older

• “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” — This animated series follows a young tiger. Produced by Fred Rogers Co., it models the values and gentle tone of that classic kids’ show. PBS Kids, 3 and older

• “The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That” — Most episodes of this animated show include science exploration as kids work with the Cat in the Hat to piece together clues. PBS Kids, 3 and older

• “Sid the Science Kid” — This show, produced by the Jim Henson Co., focuses on science exploration and includes song and dance. PBS Kids, 4 and older.

• “Yo Gabba Gabba!” — Music, dance and lessons for kids are served up in a hip-styled fashion. Nickelodeon, 2 and older

• “Jake and the Never Land Pirates” — This pirate-themed show includes lots of fun and positive social messages for kids, as well as a few academic lessons. Disney Channel, 3 and older

• “Super Why!” — This animated series follows four Super Readers who explore books and learn about the alphabet and phonics in order to answer each episode’s question. PBS Kids, 3 and older

• “The Wonder Pets!” — Classroom pets answer calls for help from animals around the world in this animated series, which emphasizes working as a team and other positive social behaviors. It also features a lot of singing. Nickelodeon, 3 and older

• “Doc McStuffins” — A 6-year-old doctor who cares for toy patients is the focus of this series, which emphasizes imagination, caring and problem solving. Disney Junior, 4 and older

• “Octonauts” — This show follows a group of underwater adventurers who try to help the sea creatures around them. It is based on a series of children’s books. Disney Channel, 4 and older

Shows for elementary school-age kids

• “WordGirl” — A smart girl uses her vocabulary to outwit bad guys; this is a good show for mixed ages. PBS Kids, 5 and older

• “Fetch!” — In this reality show, tweens compete to answer questions and solve problems, mostly of a scientific nature. PBS Kids, 5 and older

• “The Electric Company” — This updated version of the 1970s classic kids show boasts fun music and English lessons. PBS, 5 and older

• “Nature” — This is a great family show for nature-lovers, with each episode delving into a different topic about the natural world. PBS, 7 and older

• “Rated A for Awesome” — Kids tackle problems with zany comedy and social lessons in this animated series. Disney XD, 7 and older

Shows for preteens

• “SciGirls” — Show focuses on tween-age girls who are using science and math to answer a specific question. PBS, 7 and older

• “True Jackson, VP” — A teenager, played by Keke Palmer from “Akeelah and the Bee,” becomes an executive designing clothes for youth. Nickelodeon, 8 and older

• “MythBusters” — Witty team works to see if a scientific thesis proves true, but depending on the topic, the show may include explosions or other content that may be inappropriate for some kids. Discovery Channel, 9 and older

• “Generator Rex” — This sci-fi cartoon adventure and mystery series featuring monsters is best for tweens, as it includes some violence and mature themes about responsibility and personal desires. Cartoon Network, 11 and older

• “Naruto Shippuden” — The story follows an energetic teenage ninja apprentice. Disney XD, 11 and older