Ban TV to protect your kids health, says psychologist
August 31st, 2010 - 4:20 pm ICT by IANSLondon, Aug 31 (IANS) TV should be banned for toddlers and strictly rationed for youngsters to protect them from ill health.
Aric Sigman, the associate fellow of the British Psychological Society, describes children spending hours in front of TVs and computers as “the greatest unacknowledged health scandal of our time”.
He says it is linked to ills ranging from obesity and heart disease to poor grades and lack of empathy, reports the Daily Mail.
Some children spend as much as seven-and-half hours a day in front of a screen, the equivalent of a full year of 24-hour days by the age of seven.
Sigman believes that the youngest children, whose brains are undergoing massive development, should not watch any TV at all.
From the ages of three to 12, boys and girls should be limited to an hour a day, rising to an hour-and-half for teenagers.
The psychologist will also address an EU parliamentary working group on the issue.
“Most of the damage linked to screen viewing seems to occur beyond exposure of one-and-half hours per day, irrespective of the quality of the content. Yet the average child is exposed to three to five times this amount,” says Sigman.
- Computer screens retarding kids' brains - Aug 02, 2010
- Kids under nine should be banned from using computer, says expert - Jun 14, 2010
- Kids with TVs in their bedrooms 'likelier to be overweight' - May 02, 2011
- Canadian teens spend nearly 7 hours in front of TVs, computers: Study - Jul 13, 2010
- Brit kids stare at screens for 10hrs a day - Aug 17, 2009
- Daycare may double TV time for young kids - Nov 23, 2009
- Too much TV 'will put kids' heart at risk' - Apr 21, 2011
- Exercise, helping others can be as effective as drugs to treat mental illnesses - Feb 18, 2011
- Kids should not be forced fed, Oz parenting guidelines - Oct 22, 2009
- Britons spend 12 hours staring at electronic screens - May 26, 2011
- 1 in 5 youngsters in UK has television in their bedroom by the age of four - Mar 18, 2011
- Kids watching TV for hours? Beware of health risks - Apr 21, 2011
- Watching TV for long hours shortens life expectancy - Aug 16, 2011
- Facebook could jeopardize your health - Feb 19, 2009
- Study: Tiny tots may have mental health problems also - Mar 08, 2011
Tags: aric sigman, associate fellow, boys and girls, brains, british psychological society, daily mail, half hours, heart disease, ill health, ills, kids health, lack of empathy, massive development, obesity and heart disease, poor grades, psychologist, scandal, toddlers, working group, youngsters