Study Examines Effects Of TV Viewing On Behavior In Youngsters.

On its website, CBS News (3/27, Jaslow) reports, “Too much television may turn a five-year-old into a real problem child by the time they turn seven, according to a new study” published online March 25 in the Archives of Disease in Childhood. “British researchers looked at a representative sample of over 11,000 kids born between 2000 and 2002, and found those who watched television longer than three hours per day were more likely to develop antisocial behaviors such as fighting, stealing or bullying.”

HealthDay (3/27, Preidt) reports, “For the study, the investigators analyzed data gathered from about 11,000 children in the United Kingdom who were born between 2000 and 2002. When the children were ages five and seven, their mothers filled out a questionnaire designed to assess how well-adjusted the children were, and also provided information about the amount of time their children spent at age seven watching TV and playing computer or electronic games.” Then, “after taking into account other factors, such as parenting and family dynamics, the researchers concluded that there was a significant association between watching TV for three or more hours a day at age five and a ‘very small’ increased risk of antisocial behavior by age seven.”

MedPage Today (3/27, Struck) reports that the researchers found no “link between behavior problems and time spent playing video games,” however. “Further, ‘we did not find strong evidence for effects of TV or electronic games use on attentional problems,’ they wrote.”

Related Links:

— “Over 3 hours of television a day may make kids more antisocial, “Ryan Jaslow, CBS News, March 26, 2013.

Posted in In The News.