Experts call for TV ban for Brit kids under three
We are very well aware about the ill-effects of television, but what all of us might not know is the fact that TV is the most dangerous fad for kids and older youngsters.
Experts say that children under three should not see television at all, while older adults should be restricted severely.
According to Dr Aric Sigman, an associate fellow of the British Psychological Society, too much television increases the risk of health and learning problems.
He urged the Govt to take action by prohibiting sets in children's bedrooms and educating new mothers about the bad effects of too much television.
"Screen media must now be considered a major public health issue and reducing television viewing must become the new priority for child health," The Telegraph quoted Dr Sigman, as saying in a Children and the Media conference at the Commons.
"Successive governments are quite willing to advise us on personal matters ranging from how many apples and oranges we should eat per day, grams of daily salt intake, units of alcohol, sun SPF factors and passive smoking, to our sexual habits and how and when we should smack our children," he added.
Studies in the past have revealed that excessive TV watching is correlated to difficulty in sleeping, behavioural problems and increased obesity in children.
"Providing general guidance on whether infants should be watching television and how much time children should spend in front of the screen is hardly radical. While popular phrases such as 'striking a balance' or 'everything in moderation' may sound reassuringly sensible, one of the main obstacles in encouraging people to reduce their children's screen time is the vagueness of the terms 'moderation' and 'excessive'," Dr Sigman said.
"We haven't been told what excessive actually means. Most of the damage linked to television screen viewing seems to occur beyond watching one to one-and-a-half hours per day, irrespective of the quality of the programme. Yet the average child watches three to five times this amount. Parents need an ideal reference point," he added.
Dr Sigman hit out at people who believed parents should not be made to feel guilty about their children's television watching, and asserted that child health was more important.
"The British population watches television for more hours per day and reads less than any other nation in Europe. Our children are Europe's most obese. By the time children reach adolescence they spend an average of 7.5 hours a day in front of a television screen," he said.
Experts say that children under three should not see television at all, while older adults should be restricted severely.
According to Dr Aric Sigman, an associate fellow of the British Psychological Society, too much television increases the risk of health and learning problems.
He urged the Govt to take action by prohibiting sets in children's bedrooms and educating new mothers about the bad effects of too much television.
"Screen media must now be considered a major public health issue and reducing television viewing must become the new priority for child health," The Telegraph quoted Dr Sigman, as saying in a Children and the Media conference at the Commons.
"Successive governments are quite willing to advise us on personal matters ranging from how many apples and oranges we should eat per day, grams of daily salt intake, units of alcohol, sun SPF factors and passive smoking, to our sexual habits and how and when we should smack our children," he added.
Studies in the past have revealed that excessive TV watching is correlated to difficulty in sleeping, behavioural problems and increased obesity in children.
"Providing general guidance on whether infants should be watching television and how much time children should spend in front of the screen is hardly radical. While popular phrases such as 'striking a balance' or 'everything in moderation' may sound reassuringly sensible, one of the main obstacles in encouraging people to reduce their children's screen time is the vagueness of the terms 'moderation' and 'excessive'," Dr Sigman said.
"We haven't been told what excessive actually means. Most of the damage linked to television screen viewing seems to occur beyond watching one to one-and-a-half hours per day, irrespective of the quality of the programme. Yet the average child watches three to five times this amount. Parents need an ideal reference point," he added.
Dr Sigman hit out at people who believed parents should not be made to feel guilty about their children's television watching, and asserted that child health was more important.
"The British population watches television for more hours per day and reads less than any other nation in Europe. Our children are Europe's most obese. By the time children reach adolescence they spend an average of 7.5 hours a day in front of a television screen," he said.
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