News

7th April 2004

TV linked to Attention Deficit Disorder

Children under the age of two should not watch any TV according to new research from the Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Centre in Seattle, USA. Older children should not watch more than two hours a day according to the study published in the American journal, Pediatrics.

The research, led by Dr Dimitri Christakis, involved 1,345 children and suggests that each hour in front of the TV increased a child's chances of attention deficit disorder (ADD) by 10 per cent.

Dr Christakis says that children who were exposed to unrealistic levels of stimulation in their first years expected it to continue into later life and this caused problems dealing with the slower pace of school life and homework.

"TV can cause the developing mind to experience unnatural levels of stimulation," he said. "The newborn brain develops very rapidly during the first two to three years of life. It's really being wired."

Another of the researchers, Frank Zimmerman, said it was impossible to determine what a safe level of watching the TV could be for toddlers between one and three years old.

"Each hour has an additional risk. You might say there's no safe level since there's a small but increased risk with each hour," he said. "Things are a trade-off. Some parents might want to take that risk. We didn't find a safe level in that sense."

The study involved asking parents about their children's viewing habits and using a scale similar to that used in the diagnosis of ADD, they were then asked to rate their children's behaviour.

The results showed that the children who watched more TV were in the top 10 per cent for concentration problems, impulsiveness, restlessness and being easily confused."

The researchers admitted there could be problems in the study as the parents' views may not be totally accurate and it was also not possible to know whether the children already had attention problems early on that attracted them to TV viewing.

ADD affects approximately 1per cent of all children in the UK, although the number of children affected in The States is estimated between 3 and 5 per cent.

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