TV Watching Begets Behavioral Problems
Most at risk are young kids who watch 2 or more hours a day

(HealthDay News) -- Parents who might be tempted to rely on the electronic babysitter for a little quiet with their toddler should listen up: Turn off that television.

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University have found that by limiting TV viewing in children younger than 6, parents can prevent a lot of behavioral problems.

Turning off the television and getting kids involved in other activities is not a groundbreaking idea. Television-watching has been blamed for such problems in American kids as lethargy, obesity and shortened attention spans. The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages allowing kids younger than 2 to watch TV at all, and it recommends that older kids watch no more than two hours a day.

But the Hopkins study was unusual in that it followed kids from 2,702 families over time -- from ages 2½ to 5½ -- and measured the effects of changing levels of TV watching, according to lead author Kamila Mistry, a doctoral candidate at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

About 20 percent of the parents said their children watched at least two hours of TV a day at both 2½ and 5½ years of age. About 40 percent of the children had televisions in their bedrooms at age 5½.

Even when the researchers adjusted the study results to account for such factors as income and "parental involvement," they found that youngsters who watched two or more hours of TV daily at both ages were more likely to suffer from sleep, attention and aggressive behavior problems, and what they called "externalizing of problem behaviors."

Kids with televisions in their bedrooms also were more likely to have sleeping problems, the study found. And, those who watched more TV over time had greater problems dealing with others.

Mistry said the study makes a strong case for a real difference in behavioral problems in kids based on their television viewing.

"It's never too late," she said. "That's an important message for parents as well as pediatricians: encouraging parents to turn off the TV and think about alternative activities for kids."

For parents struggling to set television-watching boundaries, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services offers suggestions:

• Set a TV schedule. Because time for television viewing is limited, a child has to make choices. That can be an excellent way to help children learn to set priorities. Schedules also help young children begin to grasp the concepts of before and after or morning and evening.
• Monitor TV programming quality. Even if parents help children select shows through a TV guide, they can't be sure of the quality of the programs unless they, too, watch them. Not all cartoon shows, for instance, are appropriate for young children.
• Watch TV with children. Television programs can help spark family discussions about important ideas and help kids learn new lessons or reinforce concepts their teachers or parents have been stressing.

On the Web

Learn more about children and TV from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

SOURCES: HealthDay News ; Kamila Mistry, M.P.H., doctoral candidate, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore; Building Blocks for a Healthy Future, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (www.bblocks.samhsa.gov)
Author: Anne Thompson
Publication Date: Oct. 31, 2008
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