Is TV good or bad for your child?

If you use the television to be baby sit your child while you run your errands or chores, you may be doing injustice to your child. According to research, watching TV can be harmful, especially for children under three. TV consumption in children as young as that leads to attention problems by the time they are seven, according to a study from Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle published in Paediatrics. The study revealed that each hour of television watched per day at ages one to three increases the risk of attention problems, such as ADHD, by almost 10% at age seven.

Disadvantages of television

TV watching can hamper the development of a child and can contribute to lifestyle diseases and behavioural disorders. When the television is on, there’s less talking, and talk time is very important in language development. Obesity and violent behaviour have also been attributed to negatively impact children in this study led by Dimitri Christakis, a paediatric researcher at Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle.

Watch educational programmes

While watching a lot of general audience programming is related to poor skills, Aletha Huston, a professor of child development at the University of Texas in Austin, says educational television can have a very positive impact on young children. She emphasises that rather than allowing your children to sit down and watch whatever is on, select carefully what they are going to watch. Influence your children to go for educational programmes and turn off the set when that show is over. “Children who watch educational programming – particularly at age two and three – perform better on tests of school-related skills than children who do not watch educational television,” says Huston.

TV watching tips

You need to limit the time your children spend watching TV and keep the TV off during family mealtimes. Eating in front of the TV starts a bad habit and reinforces kids’ dependence on television. Children and teens who have regular family dinners enjoy a variety of benefits, including better physical and mental health, improved school performance and fewer behavioural problems. Encourage that they read to relax than to gather in front of the TV. Show your kids that you enjoy reading, and let them see you reading rather than watching TV to relax. Reading books and turning off the TV can facilitates positive interactions.