Excessive TV Viewing Starts Young

Tuesday May 1 11:15 AM ET By Will Boggs, MD   BALTIMORE (Reuters Health) –   Nearly one quarter of American children younger than age 3 already watch at least 3 hours of television on a typical weekday, according to study findings released here Monday at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies.   The American Academy of Pediatrics currently recommends that children younger than age 2 be spared television viewing altogether, and that older children be limited to no more than 1 or 2 hours per day. Since so little was known about TV viewing among very young children, Laura K. Certain and Dr. Robert Kahn from Children’s […]

TV Linked To Kids’ Attention Problems

TV Linked To Kids’ Attention Problems April 5, 2004   CHICAGO (AP) — 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 […]