Should we cancel Cocomelon?

Young children, but particularly infants and toddlers, simply take in the effects of the show - lights, sounds, flashes, vibrant colors - rather than the content itself. Screen-time for our youngest children is simply an intense and unnatural sensory experience.

Cocomelon, along with many other popular infant/ toddler shows such as Little Baby Bum, Blippi, Ms. Rachel, and Baby Einstein, are so overstimulating that they actually act as a drug, a stimulant. These types of shows are carefully designed to hold a young child’s attention, and they are very successful in doing so.

The overall question is - at what cost?

Young children who view these types of shows, even in moderation, experience very real symptoms of addiction and withdrawal, which understandably leaves them emotionally dysregulated. The more a child is exposed to these types of shows, the more their brain begins to crave and expect this intense level stimulation, making it impossible for them to play creatively and without entertainment.

Does screen-time cause ADHD or Autism?

No, screen-time does not cause ADHD or Autism.

The issue is that the effects of screen-time on the young child’s brain - particularly with extremely overstimulating shows such as Cocomelon - very much look like the symptoms of ADHD and/or Autism Spectrum Disorder which is leading to a steep increase in the amount of misdiagnoses in young children.

Neurotypical children are looking neurodiverse, and neurodiverse children are being overmedicated because screen-time is exacerbating their symptoms.

Isn’t moderation key?

You’ve likely heard that “educational” screen-time is safe within the recommended time limits, especially for children who still have plenty of time for play and nature exploration. You’ve also probably rationalized that, despite the recommended guidelines of avoiding screens entirely before age two, it must be “fine” since 1) everyone does it, and 2) these shows were literally created for babies.

Unfortunately, “everything in moderation” doesn’t seem to apply here. The idea for The TV Detox was initially birthed when Jerrica began noticing the way different types of children’s shows affected her three-year-old son’s sleep and behavior. She found that the elements of the show were far more important than the amount of time viewed, which are the findings she initially began sharing with her small Instagram audience in 2020. This sentiment has been confirmed via research.

Since then, hundreds of other parents have echoed the premise that a child who has just watched 30 minutes of Cocomelon and a child who has just watched 30 minutes of Trash Truck (aka Giant Jack) will look like a very different child.

We’ve also heard countless stories of children who have had a strict 20-minute daily screen-time limit, and a detox still completely transformed their behavior.

What is “better” screen-time?

Jerrica combined current screen-time research with her extensive background in child development and early childhood education and created a detailed rubric for scoring TV shows for young children.

Upon scoring nearly 100 children’s shows by popular request, it became obvious that the vast majority of shows for young children, especially those advertised as “educational”, are fast-paced and attention-grabbing with high-stress scenes and modeling of negative behavior.

Only a handful of children’s shows passed the rubric. These shows are slow-paced with natural color tones. They don’t use unnatural visual effects such as dancing letters, swirling shapes, flashing colors, or high-contrast backgrounds to hold the child’s attention. They speak in normal voices and use rich vocabulary within natural conversations. The high-quality storylines provide context for the vocabulary and they are careful not to distract from character conversations with loud music and/or distracting sound effects. Most importantly, they model kindness, empathy, friendship, prosocial skills, and emotional intelligence.

Of course, this rubric is highly subjective. However, many parents have reported a dramatic improvement in their young child’s sleep, play, and behavior simply by replacing their typical shows with better ones.

What if my child doesn’t have behavioral issues?

In Reset Your Child’s Brain by Victoria L. Dunckley, MD, Dr. Dunckley explains that screen-time causes, “hyperarousal, overstimulation, irritability, reduced activity in the brain’s empathy area, desensitization to violence, stress hormones, reduced deep sleep, reduced frontal lobe activity, reduced serotonin levels.”

It’s certainly possible that very minimal screen-time has had no negative impact on your child’s brain, but it’s also possible that the symptoms of these screen-time effects (aggression, social anxiety, reduced capacity to tolerate disappointment, defiance, trouble sleeping, clinginess, whininess, frequent crying or meltdowns, hyperactivity) have been brushed off as either personality, temperament, or age-appropriate behavior.

Our argument is that, if a child has had daily screen-time since infancy or toddlerhood (especially ultra overstimulating screen-time such Kids’ YouTube or iPad/ tablet games), it’s nearly impossible to differentiate between screen-time symptoms and the child’s true personality. From our current anecdotal evidence, this seems to hold true whether that daily amount has been 5 minutes or 5 hours.

By breaking your child’s screen-time addiction (yes, even if they have very limited daily screen-time) and reintroducing better shows (or going screen-free, it’s up to you), you’ll almost definitely see an improvement in your child’s sleep, emotion and mood regulation, creativity, language skills, independent play, and overall behavior.

What is this ‘baseline’ you talk about?

The goal of The TV Detox is to discover your child’s baseline: Who is your child without screen-time?

Once you discover the answer to that question, you’ll be able to make empowered decisions about screen-time, because it will be obvious to you when your child has moved away from their baseline in response to screen exposure.

Yes, all children are different, and that is precisely why you need to be 100% certain that you know who your child is when their brain is neither stimulated by nor withdrawing from the effects of electronic screen-time.

Is my child ruined?

The young brain is malleable and resilient. These changes to your child’s brain don’t have to be permanent.

In order for the child’s brain to work to balance hormones and rewire itself, it needs to go on a detox. This means ditching overstimulating and interactive screen-time for 1-4 weeks depending on your child’s amount and length of exposure, and seeing how your child responds. After experimenting for yourself at home, the results will speak for themselves.

Why does The TV Detox focus on toys?

Our belief is that an increase in screen-time and a decrease in play go hand-in-hand.

At Raise Wildflowers, we believe in “do less parenting”. We don’t believe that you should replace screen-time with yourself. Rather, we believe that parents and caregivers who prioritize distraction-free caregiving tasks and meaningful moments of connection can leave young children to play independently in a safe, developmentally appropriate “yes space” while you sip a cup of coffee, check your email, put the baby down for a nap, or throw in a load of laundry.

Understanding the basics of facilitating safe, engaging, and developmentally appropriate play is essential in conquering the detox period and implementing changes that will last. You’re here because you care about and want the best for your child. Even the very best parents and caregivers need a break, and independent play is the ultimate screen-time replacement.

Is it too late for my older child?

As an Early Childhood Specialist, Jerrica’s programs focus on children ages 0-7. Dr. Dunckley has seen wonderful success in children of all ages. We highly recommend her book and program: Reset Your Child's Brain: A Four-Week Plan to End Meltdowns, Raise Grades, and Boost Social Skills by Reversing the Effects of Electronic Screen-Time.

What if my infant or toddler doesn’t like the “better” shows?

As mentioned previously, infants and toddlers are more interested in the visual effects of the show rather than the show itself. If a child isn’t interested in our recommended children’s shows, this is a good indication that their brain isn’t ready for screen-time quite yet.

We recommend adhering to the current screen-time guidelines by The World Health Organization:

• 0-24 Months: No screen-time

• 2 Years: No more than one hour daily - less is better

• 3-4 Years: No more than one hour daily

How much TV is too much?

Although watching better shows and staying within these recommended daily limits is a great start, you can expect to see the greatest and most longterm improvements for your child by eliminating the daily screen-time habit altogether and instead using TV as an occasional tool throughout the early years.

In The TV Detox, you can choose whether to replace your child’s current screen-time with ‘A’-list TV shows or to cut screen-time cold turkey. Remember, this is an experiment. Some children are more sensitive to the effects of screen-time than others. Some children will still be affected by our recommended shows.

All young children will function at their best with zero screen-time, but the key is to discover your child’s baseline so that you can make empowered decisions.