Probably of little surprise to anyone who has a child today, a new study out of Iowa State University suggests a correlation between time spent watching TV or playing video games, and having increased attention problems at school.
The study looked at 1,323 middle-school aged children and followed their video game and television viewing habits over the course of 13 months. They also had teacher reports (from multiple teachers) of the child’s in-class attention span and performance.
Using the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics of 2 hours/day as the maximum amount of time a child should be watching TV or playing video games, the researchers found those children who exceeded the maximum had more attention problems, as reported by their teachers.
The middle school students in the study spent an average of 4.26 hours a day watching TV or playing video games. A comparison group of college students spent 4.82 hours daily on the same activities.
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This is one subject I can go in great detail about!!!
I remember playing video games for hours to numb the pain I was feeling… I would get obsessed and that is when it became a problem… I even drew a cartoons about it.
As for T.V. your right we are so over bombarded with t.v,video, internet that is a losing battle to limit it… Unless we can use it to teach… My oldest girl (9 years old) wanted to learn how to Nit. We have been watching how-to videos and now she is able to do the basics…
MODERATION is the key!!! For me that is easier said then done but reading post like this help me to get grounded. Thanks Dr. John!
cartoon: http://bit.ly/bGt6Si
hmm
i would say that it all depends on the video game and show types
some types of video games and movies/tv-shows ACTUALLY HELP the brain focus.
my kids watch discovery channel, so am sure those programs not only improve their attention span, but also get educated
also, the types of games my kids play are of skill, role playing (lots of reading) and the puzzle type, instead of mindless shooting or blowing up crap.
so you see these studies are pretty lame and not well conducted.
My daughter plays some video games, and watches very little TV, and I don’t see any problem with her attention span. The TV that she does watch are usually reality shows like American Idol and Dog the Bounty Hunter, which she loves to watch with my wife.
She’ll go through phases were her and friends will play Rock Band or the WII for a weekend, and then move on. But she can still focus on reading, drawing, or scrap-booking for a considerable period time. I am sure we have exceeded the two hr limit on TV and video games for most of her life, and she is turning out great.
I agree that kids who have attentional issues may end up drawn to long periods of video game playing because the nature of gaming in general.
Kids need to go out and have fun in the real world lest they turn into psychopath adults who take on anonymous pseudonyms and abuse harass people on blogs online all day. Those are the ones who’re the typical losers.
My 7 year old grandson who has Austism and ADD can focus on and play the video games for hours on end, but has problems with the rest of his activities. I don’t know if playing the games are making any improvements in his behavior but they do keep him occupied and help his mother cope. It seems that the games and computer are the only thing that will keep his attention. David
How’s this for something upbeat – it’s not video, but it seems to have some value: Pinball!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtaITD8jFN0
children should be outside playing sports and having physical activity instead of being indoors, being couch potatoes. video games probably relate to the US having the highest obesity rate too.