TV for Tots, 24/7 - Outsource your kid's brain.

BabyFirstTV (BFTV Limited, 34 Horsell Moor,Horsell,Woking,Surrey,GU21 4NJ,Tel:00 131 0 442 9853) is coming to Britain by the end of 2006, and the British television regulator OFCOM is now considering the channel's application to launch a 24/7 channel aimed at young children.

Launched in the US in May this year it is available in the US through satellite providers for about $9.99 per month and is expected soon on cable. Baby First TV will also be available in Spanish by the end of the year. (see WKRN TV news item with video clips) The BabyFirst TV website claims ...

Our mission at BabyFirstTV is not only to supply parents with the best content for their babies, but also to be a reliable and trusted source of information for parents on topics related to the early stages of parenting.

"Baby Basics" is a magazine-style program hosted by leading child psychologist, Lynne Kenney, Psy.D., providing helpful tips for parents with children aged 6 months to 3 years.

“Family Wellness” is an activity-based program hosted by Shawn Killinger, a former anchor and lifestyle reporter for several local CBS and Fox stations throughout the country.

This channel follows the so called diaper demographic ...Disney's ‘Baby Einstein’ and the recent ‘Sesame Beginnings’' but First TV claim they encourage parents to watch TV alongside their children, offering instructional subtitles on the screen. "Brainy Baby" and "Numbers Farm" are designed to kick - start children on the path to the Ivy League as early as possible

White Dot, the international campaign against television, intends to stop them, they claim tha infants need physical activity and human interaction that is removed by TV
- "Shut up and watch "is their war cry.

Links between TV and attention deficit disorder, childhood obesity, poor acquisition of language and aggression are well known and well documented.

White Dot quote the American Academy of Pediatrics,

"During the first two years of life children need good, positive interaction with other children and adults. Too much television can negatively affect early brain development. This is especially true at younger ages, when learning to talk and play with others is so important."

Dr. Donald Shifrin, spokesman for the American Academy of Pediatrics is quoted, “Using videos and television in this age range is basically an uncontrolled experiment on youngsters.”