Thaindian News

New Delhi, Nov 20 (IANS) Children who watch television for more than 35 hours a week are at a risk of obesity and an aggressive and violent behaviour, a study revealed here Saturday.

The report, conducted by the Social Development Foundation of the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham), surveyed more than 2,000 children between the age of six and seventeen and around 3,000 parents from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Patna and Chandigarh, among others.

“Excessive television viewing among children has been linked to a greater risk of obesity and violent behaviour. The survey also reveals that the long-term effects of television on academic achievement have been less clear,” Assocham secretary general D.S. Rawat said.

According to the study, an adult who watches three hours of television a day is far more likely to be obese than an adult who watches less than one hour.

While watching TV, kids are inactive and tend to snack. They’re also bombarded with ads that encourage them to eat unhealthy food such as potato chips and empty-calorie soft drinks, said a majority of the parents.

About 90 percent of parents agreed that prime time TV programmes were getting worse with each passing year because of derogative language and adult themes.

Interestingly, 54 percent kids aged between 12 and 18 said they watch something different when they are alone than with their parents and reality shows attracted around 76 percent of them.

Vulgarity and violence, 71 and 58 percent respectively, were the two major causes of concerns for parents. Around 60 percent of the parents said they supported the new regulations which limit the amount of sex and violence in TV shows.

Television alone is responsible for 10 percent of youth violence, indicated the survey.