ParentEd: While Romanians argue about politics on social media and TV, children absorb all the chaos

• Loud screens and noise stress young children and affect their development
• Sound pollution in Romanian homes affects children's learning, play, and sleep, who are more vulnerable to noise than adults
• Studies show that children exposed to TV for 2 hours daily are 6 times more likely to experience language development delays
• Renowned doctor: Experiences actually change the physical structure of the brain

Political scandals during this period, arguments from debates and talk shows, and continuous noise stress children right in their own homes[[1]](#_ftn1). A recent study analyzed by ParentEd shows that little ones are becoming increasingly agitated due to the noise caused by the adults around them. The situation is even more serious when children aged 8-12 are glued to phones and tablets for 5.5 hours a day, while televisions are constantly on throughout homes, even when no one is watching.

In this tense and hyper-mediatized climate, children are involuntarily exposed to a chaotic sound environment that affects their development. While parents stay on phones or in front of televisions, children can no longer learn, play normally, or sleep peacefully. Experts state that children exposed to television for 2 hours daily have 6 times greater risk than others of speaking later and less correctly. In Romania, adults aged 35 to 55 tend to watch television together with family and prefer TV news, shows another study[[2]](#_ftn2).

Dr. Daniel J. Siegel, a doctor from the United States and expert in brain development, warns: "Experiences actually change the physical structure of the brain." Every hour spent in front of screens with chaotic content, every electoral scandal on TV affects children's neurons, who don't remain indifferent: over 50% of parents surveyed in another study stated they observed concerns in their children related to political issues presented in the media[[3]](#_ftn3).

Sound pollution inside homes - from televisions with news and political scandals to noisy household appliances - is added to that from the external environment, and children are more vulnerable to noise than adults because they are developing and have limited control over filtering information.

According to studies analyzed by ParentEd, excessive noise can affect:

• Learning: Children can no longer concentrate at school, memory decreases, and test performance suffers.
• Play: Television running in the background prevents them from concentrating on toys.
• Sleep: They wake up frequently, stressed and tired, even if they don't realize it.