Reducing TV viewing 'improves behaviour'
Five-year-olds who watch a lot of television could have poor social skills
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Monday, 01, Oct 2007 12:25
Parents could improve the behaviour of their offspring by reducing the hours they spend watching television, researchers have concluded.
A study by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that daily television viewing for two or more hours in early childhood can lead to poor social skills and behavioural problems.
But when early heavy television viewing was decreased over time there was no long term association with behaviour or social problems.
The researchers analysed data from over 2,700 children whose parents were asked about how much television their offspring watched at the age of 2.5 and 5.5 years.
About one sixth of parents said their children watched two or more hours of television at the age of 2.5 years while 15 per cent said their children viewed at least two hours at 5.5 years.
One fifth of parents said their children watched this amount at both two and a half and five and a half years.
This sustained exposure was associated with behavioural problems while parents who limited the amount of television watched by the age of five reduced the risk of problems.
Children watching more than two hours of television a day were found to have fewer social skills. If a television was in the child's bedroom – as with 41 per cent of the children studied – then behavioural problems, poor social skills and poor sleep were more likely.
Dr Cynthia Minkovitz concluded: "It is vital for clinicians to emphasise the importance of reducing television viewing in early childhood among those children with early use."