Weekday TV watching hurts schoolwork
October 09, 2006
Reuters reported on October 2, 2006 on study which appears on the October, 2006 issue of Pediatrics on the effects of TV viewing on school performance. The conclusion? Weekday TV watching as a detrimental effect on school performance.
U.S. youths who watch television on weekdays tend to do worse in school than those who don't watch during the week, but weekend viewing appears to have no negative effects on schoolwork, researchers said on Monday.
The study of 4,508 middle school students ranging in age from 9 to 15 years also found schoolwork suffered among those allowed to watch adult, or R-rated, movies and cable channels with adult programming.
"Our data support the recommendation that parents limit weekday television and video game time to less than one hour and restrict access to adult media by limiting exposure to cable movie channels and R-rated movies and videos," wrote study author Dr. Iman Sharif of Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, New York.
Among students who watched no television during the week, half did excellent work at school, the study said. Among those who watched between four and seven hours per week, only 24 percent had excellent school performance.
The American Academy Of Pediatrics recommends no more than 1 hour of TV viewing and/or video game playing on school nights.
"Our data support the recommendation that parents limit weekday television and video game time to less than one hour and restrict access to adult media by limiting exposure to cable movie channels and R-rated movies and videos," wrote study author Dr. Iman Sharif of Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, New York.
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