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Study: Too Much Screen Time Makes Kids Mental
Once they had reviewed the collected results, researchers found that the kids who had spent more than two hours a day in front of a TV or computer screen were more likely to have behavioral problems. Kids who had spent more time not moving, meanwhile, actually exhibited better test results. Surprisingly enough, though, the results showed a significant, yet weak inverse relationship between time spent in front of a screen and idle time, but virtually no correlation (positive or negative) between a child's screen time and his or her exercise activity. The kids' test scores didn't vary, moreover, across the two different types of screens (computer or TV).
Of course, it's difficult to isolate the effect that screen time has on a child's behavior. Pre-existing problems at home or at school, for example, may force some kids to seek refuge in video games or computer programs, so it may be impossible to establish a robust causal relationship between the two. Either way, paranoid parents may want to limit their kids' screen time, just in case it really is poisoning their psyches.
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Comments
6
Subscribe to commentsColinLOct 15th 2010 10:28AM
The real correlation is parenting time and quality, not time in front of a tv or video game. But studies have already been done on that, and thus it's not news- or grant-worthy.
You can be a well-adjusted, involved parent and still have a kid that spends 1-2 hrs a day in front of the tv. You could also be a really bad parent whose kid plays sports or does something outside.
And to top it all off, some kids still turn out great against all odds while others manage to become horrible adults despite an upbringing that should have produced success.
abcOct 15th 2010 2:11PM
@(Unverified) In other words, this study is bogus.
CarolOct 15th 2010 4:40PM
Your kid does not become a psycho by watching too much television, it's an innate quality. Now if your child is high on the sociopathy spectrum then high stress, lack of structure, and constant exposure to violence can make them grow up to be a psychopath. If your child is watching too much tv. It is not the tv. A television is an inanimate object that can be easily controlled by pressing the power button.
myssteryyyOct 15th 2010 5:31PM
one study says too much screen time will cause your child to have learning disabilities, another says that too much ST causes ADHD, and now your kid will be a psycho... hmmm, I didn't know that tv and computers were a new thing - I thought they've been around for a few years! In fact, several generations have grown up watching way more than 2 hours of tv per day, and computers have been around for a few as well.
It reminds me of the whole, "bla bla bla study says don't eat butter - it will kill you. Eat margerine instead... oh wait, margerine is a few molecules away from being plastic." or "such and such study says don't eat eggs, they are very bad for your health!... oh, well, doctors say you should eat eggs, they are good for you."
It's just another way of controling the public... don't be sheep!
johnkOct 15th 2010 8:43PM
Well. since the 50's just about every kid has spent more than 2 hours a day in front of the screen. So we are all psychos. Which makes us all normal.
brehlwwOct 16th 2010 1:10AM
the physiological effect of the stroboscopic display is the reason for th e symptoms. look it up!