TV watching and children's behaviour

A study of 2,707 children in the U.S. has found that toddlers (2.5 - 5.5 years old) who watch two or more hours of television a day are more likely to develop behavioural problems and poor social skills. The study, reported in the journal Pediatrics, found that 16% of two-and-a-half-year-olds watched more than two hours a day of TV and 15% of five-and-a-half-year-olds did so. Sustained exposure to TV was associated with behavioural problems. 41% of children in the study had a TV in their bedroom and this was associated with behavioural problems, poor social skills and poor sleep. Those children who started off watching a lot of television then reduced their vciwing time suffered no ill effects.