Study of Young Children Links
TV to Attention Deficits
by Lindsay Tanner,
Associated Press, April 5, 2004
Young children who watch television face an increased risk of attention
deficit problems by school age, a study has found, suggesting that TV
might over-stimulate and permanently "rewire" the developing brain.
For every hour of television watched daily, two groups of children -- ages
1 and 3 -- faced a 10 percent increased risk of having attention problems
at age 7.
The findings bolster previous research showing that television can shorten
attention spans and support American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations
that children younger than 2 not watch television.
"The truth is there are lots of reasons for children not to watch
television. Other studies have shown it to be associated with obesity and
aggressiveness" too, said lead author Dr. Dimitri Christakis, a researcher
at Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle.
The study, appearing in the April issue of Pediatrics, involved 1,345
children who participated in government-sponsored national health surveys.
Their parents were questioned about the children's TV viewing habits and
rated their behavior at age 7 on a scale similar to measures used in
diagnosing attention deficit disorders.
The researchers lacked data on whether the youngsters were diagnosed with
attention deficit disorders, but the number of children whose parents
rated them as having attention problems -- 10 percent -- is similar to the
prevalence in the general population, Christakis said.
Problems included difficulty concentrating, acting restless and impulsive
and being easily confused.
In a Pediatrics editorial, educational psychologist Jane Healy said the
study "is important and long overdue" but needs to be followed up to
confirm and better explain the mechanisms that may be involved.
The researchers didn't know what shows the children watched, but
Christakis said content likely isn't the culprit. Instead, he said,
unrealistically fast-paced visual images typical of most TV programming
may alter normal brain development.
"The newborn brain develops very rapidly during the first two to three
years of life. It's really being wired" during that time, Christakis said.
"We know from studies of newborn rats that if you expose them to different
levels of visual stimuli ... the architecture of the brain looks very
different" depending on the amount of stimulation, he said.
Over-stimulation during this critical period "can create habits of the
mind that are ultimately deleterious," Christakis said. If this theory
holds true, the brain changes likely are permanent, but children with
attention problems can be taught to compensate, he said.
The researchers considered factors other than TV that might have made some
children prone to attention problems, including their home environment and
mothers' mental states.
Jennifer Kotler, assistant director for research at Sesame Workshop, which
produces educational children's television programs including Sesame
Street, questioned whether the results in the April Pediatrics would apply
to educational programming.
"We do not ignore this research," but more is needed on variables that
could affect the impact of early exposure to television, including whether
content or watching TV with a parent makes a difference, Kotler said.
"There's a lot of research that supports the positive benefits of
educational programming," she said.
