Kids and TV

Here's an interesting article about kids and TV.

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/09/12/spongebob-in-hot-water-from-study-4-year-olds-behavior/?test=latestnews

In our home, we are the proud owners of a TV... without the ability to watch TV. I actually love this because I know if I had TV, I would spend WAY too much time in front of it. I do enjoy an occasional movie in the evening, and once in a while we'll get excited about a TV show and watch it day after air on the internet. (Although that happens less often now that LOST has ended. Sob). I love the idea of not having TV as my kids get older. At the same time, I see value in certain educational programs that are available to us. We had a grand total of 3 channels growing up, so needless to say we didn't spend a lot of time face to face with the screen, but we LOVED watching Mr. Rogers and Seseme Street. While there is plenty of good to be found on television, there seems to be a lot more that I don't want my children exposed to. So the question is, at what point can television aid us in our quest to provide children with opportunities for quality entertainment, growth and development, and at what point does television slow their development, shorten their attention spans, and/or expose them to the very negative influences we are attempting to keep out of our homes? While I recognize that not every episode of Seseme street has to turn our children into baby geniuses, the dilemma is clearly cost vs benefit.  

What research have you heard about letting kids watch TV? How much is acceptable at what age, and what kinds of programs are acceptable to allow/not allow etc?

What are your TV policies in your home, and why?

What are your thoughts on Baby Einstein/Baby Genius/Brainy Baby videos?