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Calling it a cynical ploy to get young children to watch more television, the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood is urging parents to keep children away from “Tickle U”, the Cartoon Network’s new block of preschool programming. The Cartoon Network claims the programming, which will premiere on August 22, will help develop a child’s sense of humor.

“Children don’t need TV to develop a sense of humor. It comes from play and their natural interactions with the world around them,” said Wheelock College Professor, Dr. Diane Levin, author of Remote Control Childhood. “This is a classic case of marketers trying to create a need where none exists and to dupe parents into thinking that watching more TV is good for their children.”

According to the Campaign, there is no evidence that television aids in humor development �" and plenty of evidence that television can be harmful to young children. Television viewing is a factor in childhood obesity. Research also suggests that preschoolers who are heavy television viewers score lower on academic and intelligence tests later in life and are more likely to become bullies.

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