Too Much TV Watching??

[Karri]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4664749/

The Associated Press
Updated: 7:43 p.m. ET April 05, 2004

Researchers have found that every hour preschoolers watch television each day boosts their chances — by about 10 percent — of developing attention deficit problems later in life.

The findings back up previous research showing that television can shorten attention spans and support American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations that youngsters under age 2 not watch television.

“The truth is there are lots of reasons for children not to watch television. Other studies have shown it to be associated with obesity and aggressiveness” too, said lead author Dr. Dimitri Christakis, a researcher at Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle.


TV may overstimulate developing brain
The study, appearing in the April issue of Pediatrics, focused on two groups of children — aged 1 and 3 — and suggested that TV might overstimulate and permanently “rewire” the developing brain.
The study involved 1,345 children who participated in government-sponsored national health surveys. Their parents were questioned about the children’s TV viewing habits and rated their behavior at age 7 on a scale similar to measures used in diagnosing attention deficit disorders.

The researchers lacked data on whether the youngsters were diagnosed with attention deficit disorders but the number of children whose parents rated them as having attention problems — 10 percent — is similar to the prevalence in the general population, Christakis said. Problems included difficulty concentrating, acting restless and impulsive, and being easily confused.

About 36 percent of the 1-year-olds watched no TV, while 37 percent watched one to two hours daily and had a 10 percent to 20 percent increased risk of attention problems. Fourteen percent watched three to four hours daily and had a 30 percent to 40 percent increased risk compared with children who watched no TV. The remainder watched at least five hours daily.

Among 3-year-olds, only 7 percent watched no TV, 44 percent watched one to two hours daily, 27 percent watched three to four hours daily, almost 11 percent watched five to six hours daily, and about 10 percent watched seven or more hours daily.

More research needed
In a Pediatrics editorial, educational psychologist Jane Healy said the study “is important and long overdue” but needs to be followed up to confirm and better explain the mechanisms that may be involved.

The researchers didn’t know what shows the children watched, but Christakis said content likely isn’t the culprit. Instead, he said, unrealistically fast-paced visual images typical of most TV programming may alter normal brain development.

“The newborn brain develops very rapidly during the first two to three years of life. It’s really being wired” during that time, Christakis said.

“We know from studies of newborn rats that if you expose them to different levels of visual stimuli ... the architecture of the brain looks very different” depending on the amount of stimulation, he said.

Overstimulation during this critical period “can create habits of the mind that are ultimately deleterious,” Christakis said. If this theory holds true, the brain changes likely are permanent, but children with attention problems can be taught to compensate, he said.

Other factors may contribute to problem
The researchers considered factors other than TV that might have made some children prone to attention problems, including their home environment and mothers’ mental states.

The American Academy of Pediatrics said in 1999 that children under the age of 2 should not watch television because of concerns it affects early brain growth and the development of social, emotional and cognitive skills.

Jennifer Kotler, assistant director for research at Sesame Workshop, which produces educational children’s television programs including “Sesame Street,” questioned whether the results in the April Pediatrics would apply to educational programming.

“We do not ignore this research,” but more is needed on variables that could affect the impact of early exposure to television, including whether content or watching TV with a parent makes a difference, Kotler said.

“There’s a lot of research ... that supports the positive benefits of educational programming,” she said.

[Karri]

So what are your thoughts on this? Does your child watch too much TV? Are you planning on changing?

[Dennis]

We're not changing anything. I don't think there's anything wrong with a moderate amount of age-appropriate viewing.

Dennis

[Shanna]

I agree with Dennis. I don't let my kids "veg out" in front of the tv for hours at a time, and I make sure that Jacob watches age-appropriate material. He loves the Wiggles, and I can't see how something on television that makes a kid get up and dance and run around and learn coordination and things like that could be bad for him. Granted, if that were the only type of stimulation the child received, then I could see where the deleterious effects could come from. I don't think anything is wrong with it in moderation :dunno:

[Connie1222]

I just posted about this in the Current Events forum.

I don't plan on changing anything either. Jack watches just a few hours (about 2 hours) of TV a day and most of the time, DH and I are watching with him and interacting with him and I think it's fine.

[Lyndee]

I'll take this with a grain of salt because in their studies, they are comparing TV watchers vs non-TV watchers-- which to me doesn't make for good experimental design. There are WAY many other factors that can introduce variables in the experiment other than TV and they even say that in the research:

Other factors may contribute to problem
The researchers considered factors other than TV that might have made some children prone to attention problems, including their home environment and mothers’ mental states.

Seeing as though none of our home environments and mental states are exactly the same, how can they really attribute ADD to TV? I'd need a better control group to completely believe their findings. JMHO.

And oh, what really annoys me with this report is that they are making it look like TV causes ADD. What they found is only a correlation.

[togirl]

I am not taking it too seriously either - Carter watches about an hour total tv each day - usually half hour of baby Einstein at a time. Although sometimes I think the tv is just ON too much - dh likes to always have it on for background noise.

[Billy]

I have 2 children with ADHD, one diagnosed, the other in waiting as she's only 4. My 4 year old couldn't sit still long enough to have any interest in TV at all until about the age of 3 and they each only watch children's programs. There's no way I'd ever believe any of this. Everything that I've read up until now has been dealing with chemical imbalances. So the few minutes that Becca finds interest in the TV for now....I'm taking it!!

[chefkath]

Well, I don't think kids should ever watch TV, period. So this doesn't change our habits at all, it just gives me more ammunition when I get into debates on the topic! :)

This latest research was done here in Seattle and it's been getting tons of press coverage locally this week. There's an interesting article in the Seattle Times from yesterday:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/health/2001895819_tvhurtskids05m.html

And you can read the whole study on Pediatrics website (pediatrics.org) - it's in the April issue. It's fascinating reading! It costs a few dollars to read, but I thought it was well worth it.

[Faye]

Well, I have an 8 year old that started watching t.v. at 6 months old at his grandma's house and has always loved watching a video or cartoons ever since he was young. Back then he did it alot more than he has for about the past 2-3 years. Once he started kindergarten he started showing less interest in it because his mind was focused on other ways of learning and getting information. Now he could care less about t.v. and would much rather read a book, draw, play games with me or play outside. My daughter is the exact opposite and is almost 2 years old and has never had one ounce of interest in the t.v. and I wonder if she ever will :blue:

I am of the thinking that if you keep a child from watching t.v. that they are just going to go to someone else's house and watch it there when they are older and really resent their parents for keeping them from having a somewhat normal experience such as watching an occasional cartoon or a movie. It's just for entertainment and some of those cartoons out there these days actually teach children things. I've been around children whose parents denied them t.v. and never even bought cable and they would be just sitting there while all the other children talked about a recent popular cartoon they saw on t.v. For a child that is a major thing to be left out in their peer group. I just think there are more important things than denying them the t.v. A parent should be a good enough parent to where they can limit their time in front of the t.v. so maybe those who are totally against their child watching t.v. are just less competent in the area of being authoritative and controlling their child. I just think that as long as the parent is being "a parent" and teaching the child/ren that t.v. in moderation is fine as long as they are also doing other things with their time, then t.v. is not a problem.

I also find it very interesting that they are trying to say ADD has some sort of correlation to watching t.v. Watching t.v. is such a sedentary thing. I guess since they used to say that t.v. made children more overweight because they didn't get up and exercise and play outdoors more didn't work so now they are going the other route with the ADD :rolleyes:

[Shanna2]

Well, I don't think kids should ever watch TV, period. So this doesn't change our habits at all, it just gives me more ammunition when I get into debates on the topic! :)
I actually agree with this, but we did give in and let Leah watch select TV now. On average, she gets less than 1/2 hour per day and never more than 45 minutes in one day. I wish I had never let her see it! I'm not a big fan of TV myself and will only turn it on to watch something. The sound of it in the background makes me insane!

[chefkath]

I am of the thinking that if you keep a child from watching t.v. that they are just going to go to someone else's house and watch it there when they are older and really resent their parents for keeping them from having a somewhat normal experience such as watching an occasional cartoon or a movie. It's just for entertainment and some of those cartoons out there these days actually teach children things. I've been around children whose parents denied them t.v. and never even bought cable and they would be just sitting there while all the other children talked about a recent popular cartoon they saw on t.v. For a child that is a major thing to be left out in their peer group. Hmmm... well, I do understand your concern about kids feeling left out if they don't watch TV. We did talk about this quite a bit before we decided to get rid of our TV. As a child, my family did not have a TV. We got one when I was around 13 or 14, I think. As a result, I naturally tended to associate with other kids who didn't have TVs, or who watched very limited amounts. I never felt left out or deprived in any way, and growing up TV-free is one of the things for which I have always been most grateful to my parents. Shawn, on the other hand, is really resentful that his parents let him watch a lot of TV as a child. All of his siblings (and their kids) are total TV addicts, and he feels really lucky to have escaped this fate.

The most important point to me is this: The very fact that people feel kids should watch TV to fit in is the EXACT reason I believe kids should not ever watch TV. I want kids to make friends and fit in because of who they are, not what they watch or what they own. Children's TV and all the materialistic accompaniments creates this homogenized culture that I strongly believe we should be fighting against, not encouraging our kids to join. And really, if we were to let our kids watch TV simply because we're afraid of what their friends will think of them, then what are we doing - giving in to peer pressure among the preschool set?! :lol:

I just think there are more important things than denying them the t.v. A parent should be a good enough parent to where they can limit their time in front of the t.v. so maybe those who are totally against their child watching t.v. are just less competent in the area of being authoritative and controlling their child.
Well, honestly, if you're saying that I (and others who are anti-tv) are not good parents or are less than competent (?? I hope I'm misunderstanding this) because we don't want to let our kids watch limited amounts of TV, I guess you're entitled to feel that way. But I would argue that I'm doing what is best for my kids and our family - and it's grounded in plenty of research, so it's not a wacko decision or anything! - so I feel I am very competent. And since none of our close friends (who parent the kids with whom our children naturally associate most often) have TVs either, we're certainly not alone in our choice.

As for your belief that those of us who don't have TVs are less competent at being authoritarian and at controlling our kids - well, in my case, I don't believe in authoritarian-style parenting, and "controlling" my kids is DEFINITELY not in my job description. So I'm happy to say that I'm guilty as charged! :)

If you read this latest study, (you can do so at pediatrics.org, or check it out at your local library) you may be surprised at how comprehensive it is. It's not just the latest trendy way to oppose TV! It controlled for socioeconomic factors, as many similar studies have not, and it was relatively large in its sample size - over 2500 kids. The study was done by well-known and esteemed researchers at both Childrens' Hospital and the University of Washington. Very interesting reading! :aok:

[KatieK]

I don't have kids, but we're both very anti-TV so I imagine that short of a movie or wildlife special now and then, there will be no TV.

[Kris]

Well, I don't think kids should ever watch TV

I do agree with this.

However I need to change my habits. I have been trying hard. Emma doesn't really watch too much TV yet but if I don't change I can see her watching more as she grows. SO she actually sits and watched one hour/day for now. I did let her watch more when Adam was born as I needed to feed him and she was so jealous and I was alone and dealing with PPD so I let her but now the TV is off for the most part for the day until she goes to bed. However I feel this way for other reasons than the study.

I think as parents we all do what we feel is right for our children and I don't agree with letting them watch TV just because others are then the children don't learn boundries and what is important in their family values.

[Connie1222]

I am of the thinking that if you keep a child from watching t.v. that they are just going to go to someone else's house and watch it there when they are older and really resent their parents for keeping them from having a somewhat normal experience such as watching an occasional cartoon or a movie.
Well, even though I do let Jack watch TV, IMHO this is definitely not a valid reason for letting kids watch TV. I let Jack watch Sesame Street and Blues Clues and shows like that, because I beleive they are educational and reinforce what we teach him and what he learns at school.

As for my almost 10 year old stepson, we really limit TV for him because most of the shows he likes to watch are pure garbage and he sits there staring at the TV like a vegetable! I can't stand that! At least when Jack is watching Sesame Street or the Wiggles, he is up and dancing or singing along or trying to find the "clue".

[bunkie68]

Our TV is *on* a lot, but Julian very seldom sits still long enough to pay any attention to it - he'd much rather be playing with dump trucks, coloring, running into the kitchen for milk, wandering down the hall in hopes of getting into daddy's study, or seeing what new piece of furniture he can climb onto than just sitting there! :lol: He's already got an attention span that's about a minute and a half long - every once in a while he'll stop and watch the TV for a couple of minutes standing up, and even less often than that he'll actually *sit* and *watch* for a few minutes (when he does that, I know he's getting tired! :lol: ). So I don't think the little bit he watches will hurt him much. As he gets older and maybe more interested in sitting and watching, I'll limit the time he spends doing that, just because I'd rather see him out running and playing and doing fun kid stuff than being a lump in front of the TV.

[Karri]

Whether or not this study is true, it really was an eye opener for Chris and I. Aidan was never really into TV. That changed, however, when the twins came home from the hospital and I was spending so much time feeding them. He became a little TV maniac...wanting to watch his BE videos and Elmo videos all the time. At the height of things, he was getting about 2-3 hours of video time a day. IMO - that is way to much for a child his age. I really dont want him to lead a sedentary lifestyle. I see how my inlaws plant themselves in front of the TV and they are so friggin lazy and it just drives me up the wall! I never want to be like that! So now the power strip stays off and I limit his video time to 30 min/day. He gets to watch video before his nap as wind down time *if* I am finishing up with a feeding and he needs to just chill & wait. And when he wakes from his nap, he gets snuggle time with me and he gets to watch Blues Clues or Dora (whatever is on). That is all.
I like TV..dont get me wrong :lol: But I really dont think it needs to be a part of my 2 year old's life. And I certianly dont agree w/ letting them watch shows to fit in.

[LeslieC]

I have 2 children with ADHD, one diagnosed, the other in waiting as she's only 4. My 4 year old couldn't sit still long enough to have any interest in TV at all until about the age of 3 and they each only watch children's programs. There's no way I'd ever believe any of this. Everything that I've read up until now has been dealing with chemical imbalances. So the few minutes that Becca finds interest in the TV for now....I'm taking it!!I was about to post the same thing!!! My 12 year old was diagnosed with ADHD at 5 and could never sit still long enough to watch any TV!!! This is extremely hard for me to believe!!!

[EricaMG]

Adam watches up to an hour of TV per day, generally in the form of Sesame Street videos. I'm not planning on changing his habits based on this study or any other. He's got a wide range of interests and is a very well-rounded kid...he loves reading books, playing with his trucks, blocks, play-do, etc. We go to Gymboree class, have playdates with other kids, and take him to museums, parks etc. When I do turn on the TV, it is to distract him while I feed/deal with his baby brother or cook dinner. As long as his TV watching is within the scope (rather than the focus) of a normal day's events, I personally see no problem with it.

[ArtsyMom]

Hmmm...well, this is all very interesting! It's great that this web site allows us all a place to discuss these important topics. :nod:

Although I agree that TV is not the best entertainment for children, I know that it will have some place in our household. DH and I are somewhat addicted :lol: and use it to chill out in the evenings and snuggle together while watching reality shows!

During the day, especially in the winter, our 7-month-old and I would watch BE videos or cartoons and I really think it did/does no harm. Joshua gets a kick out of the bright colours, music and dancing on TV but doesn't seem to care if it's on or off really.

My family watched A LOT of TV growing up. However, none of us are lazy or unaccomplished. I have two university degrees, love being outdoors, have many interests and a well-rounded life. My brother has a PhD and two terrific kids and my parents are very energetic, healthy, happy people. So, TV or no TV, I really think we are who we are, regardless.

Thanks for letting me have my two cents. :aok:

[Emma's Mom]

I have no problem with Emma watching a little tv here and there... She enjoys it, but you know what? She enjoys lots of other things as well. She loves playing with her friends, playing on her own and reading. She will be a well rounded child even though we have a tv in the house... I tend not to read too much into any study. People who do studies are looking for an answer. They will find that answer somewhere in their study. That does not mean much to me....

[Mindpez]

Alexis and Ashley get about an hour of TV a day, if that. In the winter I see them getting a little more because DH can't always take them outside to play. They get about 30 minutes when they get home with DH (while he is making dinner), but only if they get to be to much. They also get 30 minutes after bathtime (we watch Spongebob) and then we read and then they go to bed. Friday's are usually movie night and that means we'll watch a movie with the girls (usually just Lexie who is 7 since Ashley is already in bed).

[koalita]

I do not believe that watching TV causes ADD/ADHD. First of all, the study is so flawed it's ridiculous. They even said the kids weren't diagnosed with having attention problems - they were described by their parents as having attention problems. My stepson's mother is convinced my stepson has ADD. My mother, who diagnoses kids with ADD all the time, agrees with me that there is NO WAY he has ADD. If he did, there would be no way he could play his games for as long as he does or be doing as well in school as he is (he gets straight A's!). Not only that, but even if there is a correlation between TV viewing and attention problems, that does not mean that one causes the other. The only way to prove causation is to have an experimental group and a control group and do a longitudinal study on them. And I doubt many parents would sign up for a study where some researcher tells them how much TV to make their kid watch.

When I was a toddler I watched Sesame Street every day. Partly due to that, I could read before I was 3. When I started school, both my parents worked, so by the time I was in the second grade I was a latch-key kid. I didn't have any brothers or sisters, so I watched TV until my parents came home. I never had any attention problems at all. We let Jason watch TV, starting with BE videos when he was 4 months old. His best friend Riley used to not be allowed to watch any TV and now she is only allowed to watch limited amounts of it. We never made a big deal out of how much TV Jason watches. Guess who watches more TV now? Riley, because it's been made to be a big deal to her to watch TV. Jason goes through phases of wanting to watch some show (the most recent was Barney) and then of not wanting to watch anything. Riley wants to watch everything and will whine to watch it. And Jason has a much longer attention span than the normal 2 year old.

If parents decide they don't want to let their children watch much/any TV, that's fine, but I think the kinds of shows Jason watches are doing him more good than harm. When we watch Barney, we sing the songs together and dance. Same with the Wiggles. When he watches Elmo or Blues Clues or Dora, he's always learning something. We don't let him watch anything that's not educational in some way, and we always watch with him so it's not like he's just sitting there vegged out in front of the TV by himself.

[Stacy]

We are the minority here it seems in that we do watch a lot of TV. Does Dylan ever sit and just watch? NO! He is always playing with his toys or with dh/I.
We won't be watching much now that the warmer weather is here because Dylan would rather be outside.
I grew up with friends that weren't allowed to watch TV. They thought they were better than everyone else.
However that can go both ways.
I think it's every parents personal choice.
If we all followed every study that came out what kind of world would we really live in.

[happysmileylady]

I agree with koalita about the study being flawed. I find it really strange that they determined a link between tv watching and attention problems only by asking the parents. Why wouldn't they observe and rate the children's behavior themselves?

In addition, what sort of tv are they watching? Are they watching shows like Sesame Street or Barney? Or, are they watching shows like Yu-gi-oh and Scooby Doo? Or even worse, are they watching prime time tv with their parents? I think the type of shows watched make a huge difference. A child watching Between the Lions is getting a lot more benifits out of tv than a child watching Survivor.

[EricaMG]

Well, I don't think kids should ever watch TV, period. So this doesn't change our habits at all, it just gives me more ammunition when I get into debates on the topic! :)

This latest research was done here in Seattle and it's been getting tons of press coverage locally this week. There's an interesting article in the Seattle Times from yesterday:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/health/2001895819_tvhurtskids05m.html

And you can read the whole study on Pediatrics website (pediatrics.org) - it's in the April issue. It's fascinating reading! It costs a few dollars to read, but I thought it was well worth it.Kathleen- THANKS for posting the link to this article and the one to the pediatrics.org site...I checked both of 'em out :)

When I was reading the Seattle Times article, I came across this comment posted by another reader. I'm curious...what do you all think about the point he's trying to make?

<<The question that needs to be raised: Is having a reduced attention span a bad thing overall? Modern society is moving at such a pace, I would be willing to bet that attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is an evolutionary reaction to our need to increase our ability to disseminate large amounts of data over a relatively unchanged portal (our eyes and ears). I've known people who grew out of ADHD and are leading normal lives... I think people just need to understand that we are still evolving as a result of our environment. Don't take what I'm saying as a license to sit your kid down in front of the TV... It should be part of a well-balanced diet of radio, TV, Internet, music, books, puzzles, games, periodicals and socializing, all of which will increase brain activity and allow for comfortable growth in the ever rapidization of modern civilization.>>

[Stacy]

That makes sense. Society is always multi-tasking, trying to get everything done at once. We are on the go 24/7. Someone doing something at a regular pace can seem anormal. (is that the right word?)

[Dennis]

I think it depeneds on how you are defining "reduced attention span." If you mean it as not being able to focus on one thing for more than an hour, that's probably okay. If you mean it as not being able to focus on one thing for more than 10 minutes, then I think that's a big problem. There are a lot of things (academic and 'real-word') that you can't learn in 5 or 10-minute chunks. Sometimes you really need to spend an hour or two or more to figure something out, and IMO, it is a bad thing if a person is unable to do that.

Dennis

[chefkath]

In addition, what sort of tv are they watching? Are they watching shows like Sesame Street or Barney? Or, are they watching shows like Yu-gi-oh and Scooby Doo? Or even worse, are they watching prime time tv with their parents? I think the type of shows watched make a huge difference. A child watching Between the Lions is getting a lot more benifits out of tv than a child watching Survivor.
Actually, the reason they didn't pay attention to content is because we're talking about a neurological disorder here. There is something physically abnormal about the brain of a child with ADHD. The theory is that the visual images on television can cause a developing brain to become "wired" differently - since images on TV change more rapidly and move more quickly than those in real life. Even "educational" TV employs this technique - Sesame Street certainly could be argued to have value, but it flits from image to image almost as fast as a video on MTV. So for a study that is concerned with how the visual stimulation of TV affects the physical development of neurotransmitters in the brain, the content of the TV shows watched isn't relevent. In a different study that was concerned with a social science issue - correlating TV viewing with violent behavior, or eating habits, or socialization, for example - content would be relevent. But for this study, it wasn't.

As for the comment posted by the Seattle Times reader, I can only say that implying that attention deficiency could in some way improve one's ability to multi-task makes no sense. :dunno: Multi-tasking requires an intense ability to focus on many things at once and calls for efficient and well-developed concentration skills. Deficiency in the ability to focus or concentrate makes it hard to do one thing, much less ten at the same time.

[ddo]

We let Jason watch TV, starting with BE videos when he was 4 months old. His best friend Riley used to not be allowed to watch any TV and now she is only allowed to watch limited amounts of it. We never made a big deal out of how much TV Jason watches. Guess who watches more TV now? Riley, because it's been made to be a big deal to her to watch TV. Jason goes through phases of wanting to watch some show (the most recent was Barney) and then of not wanting to watch anything. Riley wants to watch everything and will whine to watch it. And Jason has a much longer attention span than the normal 2 year old.



I agree with Koalita's post completely. The bigger an issue you make of it the bigger it will be to kids. It's like denying your child all candy...if you forbid it, odds are the kids will focus on it more. Wanting it, thinking about it and when they get older they may even hide and horde it. I think we need to teach our kids how to deal with all of societies "tempations." Teach them to watch tv responsibly and help them learn moderation. Teach them to have a balance and make healthy choices in all aspects of their life.

It's my opinion that forbidding something completely isn't alway the best way to get the desired result. If you normally lead a TV free lifestyle then that's great, that's your choice and your family's norm. But I'm not sure forbidding all TV time is best.