More bad news for TV watchers

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a column about the problems television creates, particularly for our young folks. Well, here’s some more troubling news, this time from the University of Michigan.

A recent study by that university found some surprising, and, unfortunately, some not-so-surprising facts about children’s viewing habits. Some include:

• TV viewing among children is at an 8-year high;

• Children ages 2 to 5 average 32 hours a week in front of a TV;

• Children with a TV in their bedroom watch almost 1.5 hours more per day than children without TVs;

• About two-thirds of households have the TV on during dinner;

• Media technology offers more ways to access TV such as Internet, cell phones and iPods and this has led to an increase in viewing even as TV-set viewing is declining;

• Children who spend more time watching TV than other children spend less time interacting with family members;

• Excessive TV viewing in children can contribute to sleep problems, behavior problems, obesity, risky behavior, and poor grades;

• Advertisers target children and the average child views thousands upon thousands of commercials every year;

• An average American child will see 200,000 violent acts and 16,000 murders on TV by age 18;

• Children see about 2,000 beer and wine ads every year;

• Children see favorite characters smoking, drinking and involved in sexual behaviors regularly;

• Two-thirds of all programming contains violence;

• Programs aimed at children often contain more violence than shows for adults;

• Most violent acts go unpunished on TV and are often accompanied by humor;

• Many shows glamorize violence;

• Children under age 8 cannot tell the difference between reality and fantasy;

• Children imitate the violence they see on TV;

• Watching violent media can affect willingness to help others in need (This is called the desensitizing effect.);

• There is a link between childhood TV-violence viewing and aggressive and violent behavior into adulthood;

• Regardless of the type of programming, having the TV on in the home is linked to more aggressive behavior in 3-year-olds;

• Children learn to accept stereotypes represented on television;

• When non-whites are shown on TV, they tend to be stereotyped;

• Gender bias on TV affects how children see male and female roles in society;

• Thin woman are disproportionately represented on TV;

• Children who watch TV are more likely to smoke;

• TV viewing may promote alcohol use (Some things we can’t prove we still know are fact);

• Alcohol is increasingly advertised during programs aimed at young people;

• Just being in a room with TV on more than two hours a day is a risk factor for being overweight from ages 3 to 4.5;

• Weekend TV viewing in early childhood affects body mass index negatively into adulthood;

• TV is a bigger factor than diet in overweight children ages 3 to 7;

• TV ads encourage unhealthy eating habits (duh);

• All TV shows, even educational, replace physical activity for children;

• The food and beverage industry targets children (extra loud, duh).

Now one bit of good news, recent studies have reported success in reducing excess weight gain in preadolescents by restricting TV viewing.

So what does the American Academy of Pediatrics think of all this? Simple. Although it may be convenient for parents to let the TV serve as babysitter occasionally, the academy says don’t do it for children under age 2. EVEN if the show is aimed at 2-year-olds.

The academy also stresses that under age 2, talking, singing, listening to music or playing are far more important to a child’s development than ANY television show.