New research suggest what many have long suspected — this digital lifestyle we’re leading may also be a more deadly one.
Analyzing 173 studies conducted since 1980, researchers discovered that three quarters of them found that increased media viewing (mostly TV) was associated with more negative health outcomes:
The studies offered strong evidence that children who get more media exposure are more likely to become obese, start smoking and begin earlier sexual activity than those who spend less time in front of a screen, the researchers said.
Studies also indicated more media exposure also was linked to drug and alcohol use and poorer school performance, while the evidence was less clear about an association with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, they added.
One key finding was that quantity, and not necessarily the type of content, seemed to be more closely related to negative health outcomes. So for everyone worrying that a violent video game is worse than a non-violent one, it may be a moot point if both kids are spending 5 hours a day playing it.
But we’ve long known these findings, since many of the studies the researchers looked at have been around since the 1980s. What the current researchers did was to aggregate all of the data from these individual studies to look are more global, general effects.
Watching more than 8 hours of TV a day is a likely predictor of later obesity in children. Children should watch as close to zero TV as possible during the first 2 years of life, and then only limited TV viewing (less than an hour a day) until age 5 or 6.
The same goes for Internet use. Start your kids out slowly on the Internet, and greatly limit initial usage to just an hour or less a day. This helps emphasize the importance of everyday non-technology based social relationships, which are the building blocks for other kinds of social relationships like they may eventually build online.
As the article also points out, in addition to the health concerns, all of this media saturation also may encourage children to grow up even faster:
Thirteen of 14 studies that evaluated sexual behavior found an association between media exposure and earlier initiation of sexual behavior, the researchers said.
We can’t put any of these genies back in their bottles (nor, I am certain, would it be wise to try). The key is for children and teens to learn how to set limits and boundaries on these technologies, and to put them into context of their larger, real life. Because while a second life may be fun, teens won’t learn how to deal with social relationships face-to-face if they don’t have the opportunity to practice them face-to-face (since no amount of virtual worlds can replicate the experience of being with someone in person).
Read the full article: Lots of TV and Web harms kids’ health
(3 votes, average: 3 out of 5)
Loading ...You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Links to This Article
A Look At the Effects of Anabolic Steroids on a Female Physique … (12/2/2008)
Children and the Media « Random Reflections (12/4/2008)
10 Reasons Not to Skimp on Sleep » Find Me A Cure » Blog Archive (12/5/2008)
2 Comments to
“Is a Digital Lifestyle a Deadly One?”
This is some very interesting research and i think this type of research should be made more accessible to the public.
Parents should be made aware of the effects of not limiting their children’s tv or internet usage. Not all parents may be aware that they teach their children habits from a very early age. If they only knew what the research showed, it may motivate them to take the correct steps.
All this research is great, but it just needs to be passed onto the public.
I have found that there is a belief amongst young, tech savvy parents that their children’s internet use is in no way harmful to their children’s well-being. I am quite interested in hearing more about specific research around how many hours online can impact children’s social skills, obesity, and other variables discussed above.
Social networking and educational sites are informative and teach social skills, which can be an asset, compared to other forms of media. I wonder if more current research findings looking at modern internet use would match up with this research you’ve shared.
Thanks.
Stephen Trichter
Licensed Psychologist, San Francisco, CA
Join the Conversation! Post a Comment:
Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 2 Dec 2008
