Exposing kids to TV too soon can put their development on pause.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Flipping the TV on for background noise, or as a distraction for your baby while you finish up a few chores, may be cutting into her verbal skills, according to a new study published in the journal Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.

THE DETAILS: The study involved 329 children, from 2 months to 48 months old, whose parents were given special recorders that picked up all the noises heard and made by a child in a 16-hour period. Each parent was randomly assigned a day of the month during which his or her children were to be outfitted with the recording devices, and these random recording sessions took place once a month for an average of six months.

The researchers found that an increase in television time, whether actively watching it or just having it on in the background, significantly reduced the children’s vocalization skills and lowered their verbal measurement scores by 0.26 points, a significant amount. Also, for each hour a television was on, adults spoke 7 percent fewer words to their children.