Infant Television Exposure Influences Behavior: New Study
Sustained TV exposure contributes to behavioral problems in children. However, gradually reducing exposure during early childhood can eliminate that risk. The finding is a result of research at Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health, published recently in Pediatrics, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. According to the study, children whose television exposure totals fewer than 2 hours per day by age 5 1/2 face little or no added risk of social or behavioral problems due to the exposure.
Based on interviews of the mothers of approximately 2,700 children, conducted every 3 years, scientists found that 16% of the children in the study initially viewed more than 2 hours per day, but gradually reduced their exposure to less than 2 hours by the age of 5 1/2. The 20% of children in the study who viewed excessive amounts of television and never reduced their exposure exhibited the highest incidence of adverse social and behavioral problems.
Researchers discourage television viewing in children younger than 2 years, and recommend that children older than 2 years limit their television exposure to less than 2 hours per day. They also note that the presence of a television in the bedroom of a child increases that child's risk of sleeping disorders.