Television shows and videos meant to teach children under age 2 do not do anything for their brains, according to a study from the Children's Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School.

Specifically, they said it does not increase language or visual motor skills.

The study followed 872 children from birth to 3 years old. Children were visited by researchers and their mothers filled out surveys about the kids' development and TV habits.

"Contrary to marketing claims and some parents' perception that television viewing is beneficial to children's brain development, no evidence of such benefit was found," said study author Marie Evans Schmidt.

She also said that while TV viewing did not have an effect on thinking, it also didn't seem to cause problems.

But a news release pointed out that the study only looked at how much viewing the children did, not what they watched.

It also said that other studies have shown harm from television watching, such as increased risk of obesity, attention problems and poor sleep. The American Academy of Pediatrics says that children under 2 should not watch any TV.

The findings were published in the March issue of Pediatrics.