I'll put it this way. A child who does not watch television is not missing something crucial. I don't care that my DS does not yet know some of the popular characters. I am sure that many kids learn from television but they are learning things that they can also get in other ways. I don't have a huge issue with TV but it's never really my first choice as an activity for DS. I read one study that said that a child will pick up more of the family's vocabulary if they do not have the constant background noise of television. I am sure that someone can easily refute this study but I do limit even the amount of passive TV time that he gets. Right now there is even a TV in his room but he's not very interested.