TV use could be detrimental to children’s development because it may displace enriching activities like shared reading and caregiver-child interaction or disrupt children’s interactions with the adults in their lives by distracting both parties. Some prior research has shown that demographic factors (maternal education, siblings) and maternal mental health (depression risk and parenting stress) may predict household TV, but findings are mixed. Household TV is defined here as whether or how much the TV is on in the home. In the current study, we examine the following research questions: (a) what is the prevalence of household TV (i.e., whether or how much the TV is on) in the homes of infants and toddlers in a sample of families from low-income homes? and (b) do demographic characteristics (i.e., maternal education level and presence of siblings in the home), and maternal mental health (i.e., depression risk and parenting stress) predict household TV (i.e., whether or how much the TV is on)? Mothers (N = 220) reported on their household TV, education level, siblings in the home, depression risk, and parenting stress when children were four to seven months of age and again at 15–19 months of age. Results showed a high level of household TV, especially during infancy. Furthermore, education level, but not siblings, depression risk, or parenting stress, was related to household TV during infancy and toddlerhood. These findings are discussed in relation to prior research and the potential for informing future interventions or education efforts.

电视的使用可能不利于儿童的发展，因为它可能会取代诸如共享阅读和看护儿童互动等丰富的活动，或者通过分散双方的注意力来扰乱儿童与成年人在生活中的互动。先前的一些研究表明，人口因素（母亲教育、兄弟姐妹）和母亲心理健康（抑郁风险和养育压力）可能预测家庭电视，但结果好坏参半。家用电视在这里被定义为电视在家里是否开着或开着多少。在目前的研究中，我们研究了以下研究问题：(a) 在低收入家庭样本中，婴幼儿家中的家庭电视普及率（即电视是否打开或打开多少）家？(b) 做人口统计特征（即，母亲的教育水平和家中兄弟姐妹的存在）和母亲的心理健康（即抑郁风险和养育压力）预测家庭电视（即电视是否或开多少）？妈妈们（N = 220) 报告了儿童在 4 到 7 个月大和 15-19 个月大时的家庭电视、教育水平、家庭中的兄弟姐妹、抑郁风险和养育压力。结果显示家庭电视水平很高，尤其是在婴儿期。此外，教育水平，但与兄弟姐妹、抑郁风险或育儿压力无关，与婴儿期和幼儿期的家庭电视有关。讨论了这些发现与先前的研究以及为未来干预或教育工作提供信息的潜力有关。