Poll: Should Children Under Age 2 Watch TV?

You're tired, you haven't had a shower in you-can't-remember-how-many-days, your baby is awake but you're barely functional. Is it OK to put on a half-hour of television for your baby?

The American Academy of Pediatrics, which has long recommended against more than two hours of screen time per day for children, has made their stance on the boob tube and babies official: not recommended. 

The policy statement, “Media Use by Children Younger Than Two Years,” was released Tuesday, Oct. 18 and will be published in the November 2011 issue of
Pediatrics, according to an organizational press release.

The AAP's first guidelines on media and children under age 2 were released in 1999 and "discouraged TV viewing for children in this age group."

The last 12 years saw the advent of the iPad, iPhone and iTouch, plus a proflieration of kid-friendly hand-held computing devices touted as educational by manufacturers.

The AAP said more than a decade of data from studies on the affects of media on children led them to develop more comprehensive guidelines specifically around this age group.

Among the key findings in their report was the "lack of evidence" for educational value in television programming targeted toward babies, primarily because they don't understand the content and context of television shows.

For more information on the report's findings, click here.

What do you think? Is everything OK in moderation? Should babies have zero exposure to any form of screen? Take our poll below and feel free to elaborate in the comments.