Kids' TV can 'harm' children and hamper their development, study shows

November 6, 2007

Paediatricians found that cartoons Lion King, Power Rangers and Scooby Doo increased signs of attention disorders while The Flintstones and the Rugrats did the same in a lesser way.

http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1762852007

SHÂN ROSS

WATCHING even an hour of popular children's television programmes such as Power Rangers or Scooby Doo can damage the intellectual development of children under the age of three, a study has shown.

Researchers say "violent" programmes targeted at children can double the chance of youngsters showing signs of attention deficit disorder.

Dr Dimitri Christakis, associate professor of paediatrics at the University of Washington, said the first three years of a child's life involved critical brain development, specifically connections between neurons. Watching such programmes during this early period of brain "plasticity" meant children were being conditioned for a high level of stimulation which they were not going to get later in life.

With nearly a quarter of young children having a television in their bedroom, the latest findings will add to the debate about parents using the box as a "babysitter". This is the first time programme content has been investigated in such studies.

The research project found that popular shows such as Power Rangers, Lion King and Scooby Doo, involving fighting, hitting people, threats or other violence central to the plot, were shown to increase the signs of attention disorders.

But even "non-violent" entertainment such as Rugrats and The Flintstones carried a substantial risk of attention problems, but slighter lower.

Educational programmes such as Arthur, featuring the adventures of a well-adjusted anthropomorphic aardvark, or Barney the Dinosaur and Sesame Street had no adverse effects.

Dr Christakis, who co-authored the report, published in the journal Paediatrics, said of television: "It's not inherently good or bad. It really depends on what they watch."

Dr Christakis said shows such as Power Rangers and others without violence but which also tended to be very fast-paced may hamper children's ability to focus attention.

Shows which feature violence also send a flawed message, namely that "if someone gets bonked on the head with a rolling pin, it just makes a funny sound and someone gets dizzy for a minute and then everything is back to normal".

The study was based on a sample of 967 children between 1997 and 2002.

Dr Robin Campbell, lecturer in children's developmental psychology at the University of Stirling, said parents should not be alarmed by the findings.

"This research claims watching certain programmes can double the risk of developing symptoms of attention disorders. But the rate of diagnosis of these disorders in the US is a lot higher than in the UK - up to ten times greater. This sort of variation is normal from country to country and has a lot to do with how you evaluate it.

"Parents should feel free to let children watch programmes which in general are beneficial for intellectual development."

Tina Woolnough, chairwoman of the Edinburgh-based Parents in Partnership group, said: "Parents already know what effect a programme has on their children. But the problem is that you would have to be a permanent editor sitting in the same room as them, policing everything they were seeing, and this is just not possible with the type of busy lives most parents lead."

November 7, 2007

They shouldn't be watching TV all the time anyway. They should be outdoors playing.Misty <misty3 wrote: Paediatricians found that cartoons Lion King, Power Rangers and Scooby Doo increased signs of attention disorders while The Flintstones and the Rugrats did the same in a lesser way. http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1762852007 Kids' TV can 'harm'

children and hamper their development, study shows SHÂN ROSS WATCHING even an hour of popular children's television programmes such as Power Rangers or Scooby Doo can damage the intellectual development of children under the age of three, a study has shown. Researchers say "violent" programmes targeted at children can double the chance of youngsters showing signs of attention deficit disorder. Dr Dimitri Christakis, associate professor of paediatrics at the University of Washington, said the first three years of a child's life involved critical brain development, specifically connections between neurons. Watching such programmes during this early period of

brain "plasticity" meant children were being conditioned for a high level of stimulation which they were not going to get later in life. With nearly a quarter of young children having a television in their bedroom, the latest findings will add to the debate about parents using the box as a "babysitter". This is the first time programme content has been investigated in such studies. The research project found that popular shows such as Power Rangers, Lion King and Scooby Doo, involving fighting, hitting people, threats or other violence central to the plot, were shown to increase the signs of attention disorders. But even "non-violent" entertainment such as Rugrats and The Flintstones carried a substantial risk of attention problems, but slighter lower. Educational programmes such as Arthur, featuring the adventures of a well-adjusted anthropomorphic aardvark, or Barney the Dinosaur and Sesame Street had no adverse

effects. Dr Christakis, who co-authored the report, published in the journal Paediatrics, said of television: "It's not inherently good or bad. It really depends on what they watch." Dr Christakis said shows such as Power Rangers and others without violence but which also tended to be very fast-paced may hamper children's ability to focus attention. Shows which feature violence also send a flawed message, namely that "if someone gets bonked on the head with a rolling pin, it just makes a funny sound and someone gets dizzy for a minute and then everything is back to normal". The study was based on a sample of 967 children between 1997 and 2002. Dr Robin Campbell, lecturer in children's developmental psychology at the University of Stirling, said parents should not be alarmed by the findings. "This research claims watching certain programmes can double the risk of developing symptoms of attention

disorders. But the rate of diagnosis of these disorders in the US is a lot higher than in the UK - up to ten times greater. This sort of variation is normal from country to country and has a lot to do with how you evaluate it. "Parents should feel free to let children watch programmes which in general are beneficial for intellectual development." Tina Woolnough, chairwoman of the Edinburgh-based Parents in Partnership group, said: "Parents already know what effect a programme has on their children. But the problem is that you would have to be a permanent editor sitting in the same room as them, policing everything they were seeing, and this is just not possible with the type of busy lives most parents lead."

November 7, 2007

That article was fun to read, especially the comments section... I think I could "hear" the accents!

Sincerely Barb M.

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LOuise Johnson

11/07/07 10:00:37

Re: Kids' TV can 'harm' children and hamper their development, study shows

They shouldn't be watching TV all the time anyway. They should be outdoors playing.Misty <misty3 (AT) paradise (DOT) net.nz> wrote: