Watching television is bad for children

Children who watch too much television at the second age will face many problems in the future such as reducing interest in learning, being physically active and being easily bullied by classmates.

Photo: gawker.com.

Many scientists have studied the effects of watching television for children, but very few people learn about the effects on children under two years of age.

Livescience said, scientists from Montreal University, Canada collected data of 1,300 children in Quebec, Canada during the period of 1997-1998. Then they continue to watch them for the next few years. The team asked their parents about the time their children watch television when they are 29 months and 53 months.

When children learn to grade 4, the research team asks teachers to assess their reading, math skills, attention level, lectures, relationships with friends and many other aspects. Teachers also assess children's social interactions, such as bullying or helping other students.

The results show that the average TV viewing time of children in the 29th month is 1.2 hours per day. Meanwhile, the American Children's Research Institute confirmed that children under the age of two should not watch television, while children over two years of age only watch up to two hours a day.

For every hour watching TV more than average, children face the following risks:

- Bullying by classmates or schoolmates: 10%
- Reduce physical activity level: 13%
- Increase body mass index (ratio between height and weight): 5%

According to Livescience, the results are true even if the researchers eliminate the possible factors such as gender, sleep time, mother's education, children's personality, and the amount of time they spend watching television. .

Linda S. Pagani, the leader of the study, said that watching TV too early and too much could have a long-term impact because it occurs at a stage when the brain and lifestyle of children are developing.

'Watching television is a passive activity both physically and mentally. When that activity happens at a stage where the brain is developing, lifestyle and interest are forming, there will be many negative consequences to appear in the future , 'Pagani said.