Why are young children discouraged from watching TV?
The reasons for this have as much to do with the physical effects of the medium on the developing child as with the (to say the least) questionable content of much of the programming. Electronic media are believed by Waldorf teachers to seriously hamper the development of the child’s imagination – a faculty which is believed to be central to the healthy development of the individual. Computer use by young children is also discouraged. Television, movies, DVDs, computers and electronic games have a profound effect on children. If children are watching every day, the effects never wear off at all. Children may speak in cartoon voices, reenact ‘violent’ movements and compulsively repeat character catchphrases. This is now seen as normal childish behavior, but it really comes from these media, not from the children themselves. Waldorf teachers are not, by the way, alone in this belief. Several books have been written in recent years expressing concern with the effect of television on young
