Why Does it Matter?
- Obesity - Children who watch more than two hours of TV a day are more likely to be overweight.
- Irregular sleep - The more TV children watch, the more likely they are to resist going to bed and to have trouble falling asleep. This lack of sleep can affect behavior, mood, and concentration.
- Less time with books - Children who live in homes with higher media use are less likely to be able to read when compared with their same age peers.
- Violence - Too much exposure to violence on TV and in movies, music videos, and video and computer games can desensitize children to violence. As a result, children may learn to accept violent behavior as a normal part of life and a way to solve problems.
- Less time for play - Excessive screen time leaves less time for active, creative play.
- Language Development - Infants vocabulary is directly related to the amount of time parents spend speaking to them. When infants are spending time viewing media, they are not interacting with parents. Language delays have been linked to children who start watching television when they are infants and watch more than two hours a day.