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May 20, 2004 Toddlers and TV A recent study suggests that the more hours of television children watch when they are between the ages of one and three, the more likely their parents will report that their children have attention problems by age seven. The study was conducted by Dimitri Christakis and his colleagues at the University of Washington in Seattle. Results of this study appeared in the journal of Pediatrics, in April 2004. “The problems reported include a short attention span, difficulties concentrating and impulsiveness,” according to Karin Bartoszuk, North Dakota State University Extension Service Child and Adolescent Specialist. “Of children younger than two, 68 percent spend slightly more than two hours a day in front of a television or other screen media such as a computer. Of those surveyed, about a quarter of the toddlers between the ages of one and three have a television in their bedroom.” The American Academy of Pediatrics cautions parents against permitting children younger than two to watch TV. They recommend that older children (two or older) watch no more than one to two hours of quality television or video per day. What could happen if young children watch too much television? “There seems to be considerable evidence suggesting that young children experience over-stimulation due to how fast images, scenes and situations change,” Bartoszuk says. “The pace of screen media has increased dramatically over the last couple of decades. This over-stimulation may have a profound influence on children’s brain development as well as emotional development. Children could get used to a fast paced lifestyle, which contrasts with real life situations, especially when children enter school.” The results of the Christakis study indicate that, on average, one-year-old toddlers watch television about 2.2 hours a day and three-year-old toddlers about 3.6 hours a day. At age seven, parents were asked to describe any attention issues their children had. About 10 percent of the children were described as having problems with concentration, impulsivity, etc. “From the study, it appears that the more hours of television watched by children at younger ages, the more likely parents were to report some sort of attention problems,” Bartoszuk says. “These types of studies will help us better understand the connections between watching television or other screen-based media and child development. There are still questions we need answers to. For example, are children who are more prone to attention problems more likely to watch more television or is just watching television responsible for attention problems? What we can recommend is that parents monitor and reduce the amount of time their children spend in front of a television or computer, especially younger children. Research suggests that reading and talking are beneficial alternative activities for children and parents.” ### Source:
Karin Bartoszuk, (701) 231-8113, Karin.bartoszuk@ndsu.nodak.edu |
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