TV Viewing for 2- to 5-year Olds Risks Behavior Problems

Behavioral problems and poor social skills can be precipitated by television viewing done by children 2.5 to 5.5 years of age according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

A survey called the Healthy Steps for Young Children collected data from parents all across the nation aiming at a national evaluation of consequences of childhood television viewing. The survey came about because "A number of studies have demonstrated negative effects of heavy television viewing..." according to Kamila Mistry, MPH, lead author of the study and a doctoral candidate in the Bloomberg School's Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health.

Researchers for the John Hopkins' study analyzed Healthy Steps for Young Children survey data for 2, 700 children. Parents had been surveyed about their children's television viewing habits and behavior at 2.5 and 5.5 years of age. For the survey and study, more than two hours is defined as heavy television viewing.

Sixteen percent of parents reported that their children watched two hours or more of television daily at 2.5 years of age (early exposure), while 15 percent reported that their children watched two hours or more of television daily at 5.5 years of age (concurrent exposure). One in five parents reported that their children watched two hours or more of television daily at both 2.5 years and at 5.5 years of age (sustained exposure).

The Hopkins' researchers found that the impact of TV viewing on a child's behavior and social skills varied by the age at which the viewing occurred: there were different impacts to the child relating to behavior and social skills derived from TV viewing at different ages. More importantly, heavy television viewing for children 2.5 to 5.5 years of age that decreased over time was not associated with behavior or social problems.

However, sustained exposure (2.5- and 5.5-years old) to television was associated with behavioral problems. Yet early exposure (2.5-years old) that was subsequently reduced was not a risk for behavior problems. Concurrent viewing (5.5-years old) was associated with fewer social skills. Researchers found that, ironically, both sustained (at designated ages 2.5- and 5.5- years old) and early viewing had less of an impact on social skill development than concurrent viewing alone.

Therefore, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under age 2 watch no television while children age 2 and older be limited to no more than two hours of daily viewing, as sustained viewing ironically has less of a negative impact on social skills than concurrent viewing.

"[T]iming of exposure is an important consideration as reducing viewing to acceptable levels can reduce the risk of behavioral and social problems," concluded Mistry.

Furthermore, the study also found that having a television in the child's bedroom at 5.5 years of age was associated with three problems: behavioral problems, poor social skills and poor sleep. Forty-one percent of the children included in the study had a television in his or her bedroom.

"Children who reduced their viewing to no more than two hours a day by 5.5 years of age were not at greater risk for behavior and social problems," said Cynthia Minkovitz, MD, MPP, senior author of the study and associate professor with the School's Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health. "It is vital for clinicians to emphasize the importance of reducing television viewing in early childhood among those children with early use."

The study is published in the October 2007 issue of Pediatrics.

"Childhood TV viewing a risk for behavior problems; Timing of media exposure plays a vital role in outcomes," John Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health.