TV stunts young brains

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

Angela Harlem

Jesus Online
Joined
Dec 31, 1969
Messages
30,163
Location
a glass castle
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/tv-will-stunt-young-brains-study/2005/10/03/1128191658833.html

Does anyone actually disagree with these findings, ever, I wonder?


--------
TV will stunt young brains: study
October 4, 2005

Page Tools
Email to a friend Printer format
Watching TV may damage children's brain development, leading to increased anti-social behaviour, new research says.

There is also a correlation between the amount of TV children watch and the degree of educational damage they suffer, according to a report by Aric Sigman, an associate fellow of the British Psychological Society.

And significant long-term damage occurs even at so-called modest levels of viewing - between one and two hours a day - the report says.

Children in Britain now spend more time watching a TV screen than they do at school, but viewing even a moderate amount can dramatically increase their risk of myopia, slow down their metabolic rate and may trigger premature puberty, Dr Sigman said.

It was also found to lead to a "significantly elevated risk" of sleep problems in adulthood, causing hormone changes, which in turn directly increase appetite and body fat production and damage the immune system, leading to a greater vulnerability to cancer.

Advertisement
AdvertisementDr Sigman said: "A dose-response relationship between the amount of television children watch and the degree of educational damage they suffer is now emerging that has biological plausibility.

"Television viewing is also now linked with stunting brain development in the child's frontal lobes, leading to reduced impulse control and increased anti-social behaviour.

"Schools are expected to deliver results, yet they have an insurmountable obstruction in the form of a TV screen."

Dr Sigman suggests children under three should see no screen entertainment, those over three should be limited to one hour a day of "good quality" programs, teenagers should be limited to 1½ hours a day and adults should only watch up to two hours a day.

Dr Sigman, who is also a member of Britain's Institute of Biology, said the health risks are "the greatest health scandal of our time … Reducing television viewing should be a population health priority.

"Perhaps because television isn't a substance or a visibly risky activity, it has eluded the value judgements that have befallen other health issues."

He said it was "particularly disturbing" that some academics urge caution and warn against the risk of overreacting.

"What harm could possibly result from preventing very young children from watching television and from reducing the amount of television for those over three years of age?" he said.

"There is simply too much at stake not to be responsibly decisive now. In short, there's nothing to be lost by watching less television but a great deal to be lost by continuing to watch as much as we do."

Press Association
 
Obviously the television industry disagrees with these findings.:wink:
 
Can I just say that my patience for news stories that begin with 'scientists say' or 'a study has found' is dwindling by the day. It's topical but surely missing a bigger picture. Carry on.
 
I think I'm smarter thanks to television, so I'm forced to disagree.

Melon
 
Same here. I watched TV constantly as a kid, sometimes educational programming, sometimes not. And I think I've done all right. I'm no genius, but I wouldn't say that watching a lot of TV stunted any brain development, either.

I wasn't very social in elementary school, but that had nothing to do with watching a bunch of TV. There were other reasons. But that's another topic for another time.

Angela
 
there's a difference between good and bad tv, the problem is that there's a huge gap between educational programs and trash...........that tv is a too powerful pollutive shit, but many get attracted, it's actually strange.................
 
There's some good stuff on TV like the History Channel. It's not all reality TV junk. I would think it depends on what the kids are watching. The right stuff would help their brains. The study doesn't specify what kind of stuff they are watching so I'm skeptical.
 
babyman said:
there's a difference between good and bad tv, the problem is that there's a huge gap between educational programs and trash...........that tv is a too powerful pollutive shit, but many get attracted, it's actually strange.................

My favorite show when I was 5 or 6 was "Moonlighting." :reject:

It was a good show when it wasn't always in reruns. :wink:

Melon
 
TV......

I have a friend who has some attention disorder... (I don't want to hijack the thread into that discussion)

But he watches TV like a maniac.
He just doesn't give a damn about paying attention in school
But he can focus on anything he watns, and ahs great memory.

Thanks to TV, mostly.


Unfortunatly..... he's too used to the remote control....
 
TV is a wonderful invention, kids!

No seriously, it doesn't matter a tin shit WHAT you watch (or read), it's how you come at it that matters. I guess in short I am saying to the authors of the study, fuck you. And same for the people who wrote the damned irresponsible, trivial, meaningless newspaper article.
 
verte76 said:
There's some good stuff on TV like the History Channel. It's not all reality TV junk. I would think it depends on what the kids are watching. The right stuff would help their brains. The study doesn't specify what kind of stuff they are watching so I'm skeptical.

I'd say a trip to the library would be far more beneficial than a television show.




Unless you want the latest on Brittney & Kevin
 
melon said:

My favorite show when I was 5 or 6 was "Moonlighting." :reject:



i wish i could say this surprised me.

;)

i used to love Punky Brewster. my parents though i had a crush on her, but really, i just wanted her room.
 
Irvine511 said:




i wish i could say this surprised me.

;)

i used to love Punky Brewster. my parents though i had a crush on her, but really, i just wanted her room.

I desperately wanted her to wear matching socks and shoes. And the idea of eating prunes for breakfast scarred me, a'la the old guy.

:sad:
 
edgeboy said:
You know message boards can also stunt brain growth.:wink:
Unfortunately, most of us in here are past the age where our brains are still "growing" so I guess all it can do is accelerate neuron degeneration. Hey, everything else is starting to slide, so why not that too...

nbcrusader said:
NOVA was one of my favorite shows
Me, too! And Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom...did you ever have that problem where you tried to enthuse to other kids about red dwarf stars or wombat mating rituals, and they just looked at you like you'd announced you have fleas? Probably not, you probably knew better than to bare your eggheadedness. :wink:
 
yolland said:
Me, too! And Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom...did you ever have that problem where you tried to enthuse to other kids about red dwarf stars or wombat mating rituals, and they just looked at you like you'd announced you have fleas? Probably not, you probably knew better than to bare your eggheadedness. :wink:

Wild Kingdom was great! Marlin Perkins was always safe back in the jeep while Jim Fowler had to wrestle the python or catch some creature with a bad temper.



and my eggheadedness preceded me wherever I went :wink:
 
nbcrusader said:


Wild Kingdom was great! Marlin Perkins was always safe back in the jeep while Jim Fowler had to wrestle the python or catch some creature with a bad temper.



too bad that Republicans want to end PBS because programs like the ones you mention are "liberal."

:mad:
 
Back
Top Bottom