A leading psychologist is calling for TV viewing to be rationed to prevent health and learning problems.
Dr Aric Sigman also says there should be no TV sets in children's bedrooms and that new mothers should be warned of the dangers of excessive viewing. Speaking at a Children and the Media conference, Dr Sigman voiced his concerns and asked MPs to give parents recommended daily viewing guidelines for their children.
He believes children under three should not watch any TV, 3 to 7 year olds between 30 and 60 minutes a day, 7 to 12 an hour a day, and 12 to 15 year olds 90 minutes a day. Reducing television viewing must become the new priority for child health, he says.
Studies have shown excessive TV watching is linked to difficulty in sleeping, behavioural problems and increased obesity in children and Dr Sigman says this is linked to the amount of time watching, rather than the quality of the programmes watched.
He said, "Providing general guidance on whether infants should be watching television and how much time children should spend in front of the screen is hardly radical. Parents need an ideal reference point, even if they choose to ignore it or cannot adhere to it. At the moment, the British population watches television for more hours per day and reads less than any other nation in Europe. Our children are Europe's most obese. An increasing number of infants have TV screens in their bedrooms and by the time children reach adolescence they spend an average of 7.5 hours a day in front of a TV screen."
April 2007
STOP PRESS
New research claims children are watching around 8 hours of TV a week - an hour during the week, and slightly more at weekends - and the majority of Mums are happy about that.
Just 15% of those questioned by Freeview say they feel guilty about the amount of screen time their children have. Most feel it has a positive effect - 60% say it helps expand a child's imagination and broadens their vocabulary.
The research also breaks that urban myth that parents use the TV as a babysitter to get a lie in at the weekends - the majority don't!
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