The more TV a toddler watches, the more chance there is that they will do badly in school and suffer poor health when they are 10.
The study of 1,300 children found that every hour of toddler TV watched, increased the negative effects. Although UK experts said parents could allow young children to watch "some" high quality TV, Dr Linda Pagani from the University of Montreal, who led the research group, said: "Early childhood is a critical period for brain development and formation of behaviour. High levels of TV consumption during this period can lead to future unhealthy habits....... Our findings make a compelling public health argument against excessive TV viewing in early childhood."
The study asked parents how much TV their children watched at two years and five months and four years and five months. On average, the two year olds watched just under nine hours of TV per week, while the average for four year olds was just under 15 hours. 11% of the two-year-olds, however, and 23% of four-year-olds watched more than the recommended maximum of two hours of TV a day.
When the children were 10, their BMI was measured and teachers were asked to assess the children's academic performance, behaviour and health. Researchers found higher levels of TV viewing at two was linked to poor achievement in maths and they also found those children did less physical activity and had a higher body mass index.
The UK's National Literacy Trust has said that until research demonstrated that children under two might benefit from TV, parents should, "limit exposure and encourage other one-to-one language-enhancing activities that centre on talk at mealtime, bath time, shared reading and imaginative play".
British Psychological Society member Dr Aric Sigman has highlighted his concerns over young children watching too much TV on several occasions.
He said: "My recommendation to the government five years ago, and even as recently as three years ago, that they merely issue general guidelines on the amount of TV that children watch and the age at which they start was considered radical and controversial. Yet a growing body of evidence is now causing governments and health authorities elsewhere to do just that, and we need to as well.This is yet another study reinforcing the need for our society to finally accept that quite aside from good or bad parenting, children's daily screen time is a major independent health issue."
May 2010
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