How prevalent is TV in the lives of very young children?

Consider these findings from a study conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation:

For children under the age of 2:

    More than four in 10 (43%) of children under the age of 2 watch TV every day and nearly one in five (18%) watch videos or DVDs every day.
    Most parents (88%) of these under-2-year-olds who watch TV every day say they are in the same room with their child while they are watching TV either all or most of the time.
    74% of all infants and toddlers have watched TV before the age of 2.

For children under the age of 6:

    On average, they spend about two hours a day with screen media - the same amount of time as they spend playing outside, and three times as much time as they spend reading or being read to.
    77% turn on the TV by themselves
    71% ask for their favorite videos
    67% ask for particular shows
    62% use the remote to change channels and
    71% ask for their favorite videos or DVDs.

For more information: Kaiser Family Foundation's report on Children and Electronic Media.