Daily television viewing for two or more hours in
early childhood can lead to behavioral problems
and poor social skills, according to a study of children
2.5 to 5.5 years of age conducted by
researchers at the Johns
Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
The researchers found that the impact of TV viewing on
a child's behavior and social skills
varied by the age at which the viewing occurred. More
important, heavy television viewing that
decreased over time was not associated with behavior or
social problems. The American Academy of
Pediatrics recommends that children under age 2 watch no
television, while children age 2 and older
are limited to no more than two hours of daily viewing. The
study is published in the October issue of
Pediatrics.
"A number of studies have demonstrated negative
effects of heavy television viewing. However,
timing of exposure is an important consideration as
reducing viewing to acceptable levels can reduce
the risk of behavioral and social problems," said Kamila
Mistry, lead author of the study and a doctoral
candidate in the Bloomberg School's
Department of Population, Family and Reproductive
Health.
For the study, the research team analyzed data
collected for 2,707 children from the Healthy
Steps for Young Children national evaluation. Parents were
surveyed about their child's television
viewing habits and behavior at 2.5 and at 5.5 years of
age.
Sixteen percent of parents reported that their
children watched two hours or more of
television daily at 2.5 years of age (early exposure),
while 15 percent reported that their children
watched two hours or more of television daily at 5.5 years
of age (concurrent exposure). One in five
parents reported that their children watched two hours or
more of television daily at both 2.5 years
and at 5.5 years of age (sustained exposure).
Sustained exposure to television was associated with
behavioral problems. However, early
exposure that was subsequently reduced was not a risk for
behavior problems. Concurrent viewing was
associated with fewer social skills, while sustained and
early viewing had less of an impact on social
skill development.
The study also found that having a television in the
child's bedroom at 5.5 years of age was
associated with behavioral problems, poor social skills and
poor sleep. Forty-one percent of the
children included in the study had a television in their
bedrooms.
"Children who reduced their viewing by 5.5 years of
age were not at greater risk for behavior
and social problems," said Cynthia Minkovitz, senior author
of the study and an associate professor in
Population, Family and Reproductive Health. "It is vital
for clinicians to emphasize the importance of
reducing television viewing in early childhood among those
children with early use."
The study was written by Mistry, Minkovitz, Donna M.
Strobino and Dina L.G. Borzekowski.
Data collection for this research was supported by the
Agency for Healthcare Research and
Quality, the Commonwealth Fund.