Watching a lot of television makes four-year-olds more likely to become bullies later on in their childhood, according to new research from the United States.
The report, carried out by the University of Washington, also states that children whose parents spent quality time with them and gave them attention generally were less likely to become bullies.
Frederick Zimmerman, who led the research, said that bullying could now be put alongside other potential problems associated with watching too much television such as obesity.
The research, which was published in the April issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, is based on information from a study of 1, 266 four-year-olds whose bullying activities were monitored from age 6-11. Around 13 per cent of the children were found to be bullies.
