Saturday, March 15, 2008

TVs in the Kids' Rooms: Just Say No

Dr. Al Mohler has advice for Christian parents regarding placing a TV in a child's bedroom. You can read his article here. In it, he cites a New York Times story on the same subject. I've excerpted at length below. Bottom line: Don't do it.

A One-Eyed Invader in the Bedroom
Here’s one simple way to keep your children healthy: Ban the bedroom TV.

By some estimates, half of American children have a television in their bedroom; one study of third graders put the number at 70 percent. And a growing body of research shows strong associations between TV in the bedroom and numerous health and educational problems.

Children with bedroom TVs score lower on school tests and are more likely to have sleep problems. Having a television in the bedroom is strongly associated with being overweight and a higher risk for smoking.

One of the most obvious consequences is that the child will simply end up watching far more television — and many parents won’t even know.

In a study of 80 children in Buffalo, ages 4 to 7, the presence of a television in the bedroom increased average viewing time by nearly nine hours a week, to 30 hours from 21. And parents of those children were more likely to underestimate their child’s viewing time.

“If it’s in the bedroom, the parents don’t even really know what the kids are watching,” said Leonard H. Epstein, professor of pediatrics and social and preventive medicine at the School of Medicine and Biomedical Science at the State University of New York at Buffalo. “Oftentimes, parents who have a TV in the kids’ bedrooms have TVs in their bedrooms.”

Moreover, once the set is in the child’s room, it is very likely to stay. “In our experience, it is often hard for parents to remove a television set from a child’s bedroom,” Dr. Epstein said...

In a study among French adolescents, boys with a bedroom television were more likely than their peers to have a larger waist size and higher body fat and body mass index.

The French study also showed, not surprisingly, that boys and girls with bedroom TVs spent less time reading than others.

Other data suggest that bedroom television affects a child’s schoolwork. In a 2005 study in The Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, researchers looked at the television, computer and video game habits of almost 400 children in six Northern California schools for a year. About 70 percent of the children in the study had their own TV in the bedroom; they scored significantly and consistently lower on math, reading and language-arts tests. Students who said they had computers in their homes scored higher...

Another October study, published in Pediatrics, showed that kindergartners with bedroom TVs had more sleep problems. Those kids were also less “emotionally reactive,” meaning that they weren’t as moody or as bothered by changes in routine. While that sounds like a good thing, the researchers speculated that having a TV in the bedroom dampened the intensity with which a child responded to stimulation.

Another study of more than 700 middle-school students, ages 12 to 14, found that those with bedroom TVs were twice as likely to start smoking — even after controlling for such risk factors as having a parent or friend who smokes or low parental engagement. Among kids who had a TV in the bedroom 42 percent smoked; among the others, the figure was 16 percent.

“I think it matters quite a lot,” Dr. Epstein said. “There are all kinds of problems that occur when kids have TVs in their bedroom.”

So while many parents try to limit how much television and what type of shows their children watch, that may be less than half the battle. Where a child watches is important too.

13 Comments:

Blogger Sheri said...

This is SUCH a no-brainer!! I cannot think of one single reason in favor of a tv in a child's bedroom.

8:12 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

I could not agree more :)

6:51 PM  
Blogger elizabeth said...

hi - i'd be really grateful if you'd join my website which is a forum for people affected by adoption. i've only just created it but i'd really appreciate any support.
i'm adopted and am searching my brother who was also adopted.
thanks and good luck xxxxxxxxx

http://adoptionsupport.ning.com/

8:50 PM  
Blogger Rosie said...

Ray,you've disappeared!!!!

6:41 AM  
Blogger Ray said...

Yes, Rosie, thanks for noticing :-)

I guess you could say I'm on a break.

7:01 PM  
Blogger Rosie said...

Is the wait depressing you!! I liked your articles!!!!
Hope your family is ok.

5:37 PM  
Blogger Doug said...

Ray!

Come out, come out...wherever you are...

4:29 PM  
Blogger Donna Geer said...

Hey Ray,
I've missed your blogging. How's your journey back to China going?

9:39 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I agree. TV has no place in a kids room. They need to be doing homework or learning, not having their brains slowly rotted away with TV.

I sometimes think that TV is a way for parents to get away from their kids. But maybe a book would be better.

10:32 AM  
Blogger Rosie said...

Ray,no posts for 6 months?

6:49 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I agree completely... I had a TV in my daughters room to help her sleep when she was a toddler... it actually calmed her down. Then later as she aged, it caused some sleeping problems !! Now, its a book and a soft light to help her sleep.
Lori

9:59 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ronald Steven Federici is often described as “the country’s expert in the neuropsychological evaluation and treatment of children having multi-sensory neurodevelopmental impairments.”

He is best described as a “developmental neuropsychologist,” specializing in the treatment of “institutional autism” (which he also calls “post-traumatic autism,” or “post-institutional autistic syndrome”).

Dr. Federici is licensed by the Virginia Board, and is the holder of a Psy. D. degree.

Dr. Ronald Federici is the author of “Help for the Hopeless Child: A Guide for Families, With Special Discussion for Assessing and Treating the Post-Institutionalized Child” and is the founder of Neuropsychological and Family Practice Associates, in McLean, Virginia.

He has worked with adopted children from Russia, Romania, Ukraine and Belarus. He is also the father to seven adopted children of his own.

Federici is also an outspoken opponent of dangerous practices, such as those resulting in the death of Candace Newmaker. In addition, he has also sought to provide as much assistance as possible to children living in orphanages and other institutions with deplorable conditions.

More information about Dr. Federici and his work can be found at:

http://ronaldfederici.wordpress.com (Ronald Federici blog)

http://ronfederici.wordpress.com (Ron Federici blog)

http://childrenintherapy.wordpress.com (Children in Therapy)

http://advocatesforchildrenintherapy.wordpress.com (Advocates for Children in Therapy)

http://angelinajolieadoptions.wordpress.com (Angelina Jolie’s adoptions; Dr. Federici is Angelina Jolie’s adoption consultant)

7:43 AM  
Blogger Alex Tkach said...

May God bless you! It’s a hard time for Ukraine and those who live in this country. Visit our site hopenowusa.org to learn more!

9:48 AM  

Post a Comment

<< Home