TV watching by toddlers leads to attention disorders

The more television young children watch, the more likely they
are to develop attention deficit disorder, according to a new
study.

The U.S. research found that for each hour of television watched by
children at age one and three years, there was an increase of 10
per cent in the risk of attention problems by the time they reached
age seven.

The study, led by paediatricians at the children’s hospital
in Seattle, Washington, used  a sample of more than 2,500 young
children from the representative National Longitudinal Survey of
Youth. Other influences such as home environment, emotional support
and early education were controlled for. The study did not look at
the content of TV programmes.

The researchers advise parents to limit or stop television viewing
by children under four. Currently the average one to three year old
in the US watches between two and three hours television a
day.

www.seattlechildrens.org/home/pdf/early_television_and_attentional_problems.pdf