The authors summarize previous research and report the results of their study on young children's television and video viewing habits. Previous studies confirm that children under 2 years spend a significant amount of time engaging with television and videos and are highly attentive to them. Attentiveness is contingent on age; for instance, one study demonstrated that before approximately 12 months of age, children are unable to use adults' facial and vocal expressions in media to guide their interaction with objects in their own environment. The authors developed a Parent Media Survey. Two hundred and twenty-one families in the Buffalo, New York area participated; as most were Caucasian and middle-class, the study may not be generalized to children in lower socioeconomic classes. Reminiscent of previous studies, the Buffalo parents reported that their children watch and concentrate on television and videos, and that they as parents feel comfortable and satisfied with the quality of the media. The authors also performed a content analysis of the children's favorite television shows and tapes. The authors' results suggest that television and videos may encourage parents and children to spend time together as well as create opportunities for parents to reinforce cognitive and social themes with their toddlers if they act as teachers during media viewing.