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Ed Thomas - OneNewsNow
4/17/2008 11:00:00 AM
4/17/2008 11:00:00 AM
Parents who have long suspected their adolescent children might be adversely affected by televisions in their bedrooms now have some statistical research that seems to back up their concerns.
Reuters News reports that the study by the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, which took place in 2003 and 2004, found that of 781 teens ranging from ages 15 to 18, more than 60 percent of them had a TV in their bedroom. These teens also showed negative effects such as lower grade averages for boys, less exercise for girls, fewer healthy food items eaten by both genders, and less participation in family meals than the non-TV participants.
Dr. Susan Linn, director of a children's advocacy coalition called Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood and author of the book Consuming Kids, says research shows that putting TVs into bedrooms only helps to accelerate media bombardment that has severely detrimental results.
"The media is so seductive, and we know that it's habituating ... so putting a TV in their bedroom just sort of says, 'Go ahead -- watch all you want. Don't worry about it.' I think that's really sad," Linn contends. "It's just really a disaster for kids. There's such pressure on them to be media-saturated," she adds.
The American Academy of Pediatrics urges parents to remove TV sets from their children's bedrooms, and Linn believes children and teens need the help of their parents to set healthy limits on their time with media.
Dr. Susan Linn, director of a children's advocacy coalition called Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood and author of the book Consuming Kids, says research shows that putting TVs into bedrooms only helps to accelerate media bombardment that has severely detrimental results.
"The media is so seductive, and we know that it's habituating ... so putting a TV in their bedroom just sort of says, 'Go ahead -- watch all you want. Don't worry about it.' I think that's really sad," Linn contends. "It's just really a disaster for kids. There's such pressure on them to be media-saturated," she adds.
The American Academy of Pediatrics urges parents to remove TV sets from their children's bedrooms, and Linn believes children and teens need the help of their parents to set healthy limits on their time with media.
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I totally agree. I don't think younger kids or younger teens should have T.V.'s in their rooms.
I know from experience many parents think T.V.'s are wonderful babysitters, and I think kids should certainly have a limited amount of time on a daily basis. I know the kids I watch could easily come home from and not step away from the T.V. until bed time, and then still beg for more. When I first started watching them they literally spent every day in the summer until about 5pm PLASTERED to the T.V. until I finally decided to peel them away from it.
Thankfully the T.V. battle is something I very rarely have to fight anymore with them because we spend that previous T.V. time doing something they like more. Now I'm able to use T.V. as a treat (movie time) and not have them take advantage of it, and it works wonderfully.
I know from experience many parents think T.V.'s are wonderful babysitters, and I think kids should certainly have a limited amount of time on a daily basis. I know the kids I watch could easily come home from and not step away from the T.V. until bed time, and then still beg for more. When I first started watching them they literally spent every day in the summer until about 5pm PLASTERED to the T.V. until I finally decided to peel them away from it.
Thankfully the T.V. battle is something I very rarely have to fight anymore with them because we spend that previous T.V. time doing something they like more. Now I'm able to use T.V. as a treat (movie time) and not have them take advantage of it, and it works wonderfully.
