Get Up And Do Something: Background TV a threat to kids, researchers say

Get Up And Do Something Get up and Do Something is a program of the Delaware Coalition to Promote Physical Activity and Healthy Nutrition. Your source for optimal health.

Background TV a threat to kids, researchers say Oct 1st 2012, 13:35 That clamor in the background? It's probably the TV, and it might be taking a toll on your toddler's development, researchers say. According to the first national estimate of background television exposure, children in the U.S. spend nearly as much time around a switched-on television as they do in school. Between the age of eight months and eight years, kids spend an average of 232 minutes a day with the TV droning on in the background, researchers found. Add to that the 80 minutes of active watching that previous studies have found, and you land at just over five hours of daily interaction with the electronic babysitter. "It's quite an alarming study," said Dr. Victor Strasburger, a pediatrician who has studied media use in youngsters, but was not involved in the new survey. "This is a clear warning signal to parents that if they are not watching TV, they ought to turn it off, and a reminder that parents should be avoiding screen time in infants under two," added Strasburger, of the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.

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