How Much TV Should Children Watch?
Other People Are Reading
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Too Much Television May Harm Kids
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The American Association of Pediatrics (AAP) recently said that they recommend that children under the age of 2 watch no television and that older children watch no more than 2 hours of supervised, educational programming. The advice was based on studies showing that children exposed to excessive television did poorly in school and developed unhealthy habits.
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Studies on Television May Be Flawed
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Some experts, including economist Austan Goolsbee, claim that these new studies are flawed and do not allow for other variables which impact a child's development, including poverty and the education level of the parents. Other studies, including the 1966 Coleman Report on educational opportunity, show a correlation between television watching and improved test scores.
Bottom Line
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As long as children are engaged in healthy conversations with their peers as well as adults, some television viewing won't harm them. "Think of their media use as you would the kinds of foods they eat," says Deborah Linebarger, assistant professor of communication at the University of Pennsylvania. "Help them develop good, 'nutritious' habits."
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