Christakis to speak at Bates on media and its effect on children

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children under two years old shouldn’t watch any television. Children older than two should watch no more than two hours of quality programming each day. So what exactly is quality programming?

Before children are given tube time, parents can learn about media and its impact on children ages 0-18 from Dr. Dimitri Christakis at Bates Technical College’s 14th annual Brain Series event, April 28, 7-9 p.m. at South Campus, 2201 S. 78th Street in Tacoma.

Director of Seattle Children’s Hospital Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development, and a professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington, Dr. Christakis notes that not all media is bad.

“There are many very high-quality television programs for children,” said Dr. Christakis. “And [there are] many ways we can help make technology work for parents.”

The Brain Series, a Home and Family Life event, provides two hours of free training and coincides with the Month of the Young Child, a child advocacy month aimed at bringing attention to the needs of young children and their families.

The Pierce County Public Library System, Kaplan Early Learning Company, Bates Technical College Foundation, KBTC Public Television, the Tacoma-Pierce County Child Care Resource & Referral, and the Pierce County Association for the Education of Young Children sponsor this free event.

For more information, call 253.680.7511 or visit www. bates.ctc.edu/HomeFamily. Click here to view a Public Service Announcement.