Know how the children use these media

Kids who spend long hours watching TV, surfing the Internet and playing video games are likely to face a host of problems such as obesity, smoking, substance abuse and poor academic achievement, according to a new report from researchers at the U.S. National Institutes of Health, Yale University and the California Pacific Medical Center.

For many years, experts have examined issues concerning the impact of exposure to TV programs and other kinds of media on young viewers. The numerous research studies have looked at the effect of content and the time spent on various media sources. Most of the studies looked at the effects of television, but a number of them examined video games, movies, magazines, music, computer use and the Internet.

The researchers analyzed nearly 1,800 separate studies conducted over the last 30 years and selected 173 of papers that best met certain criteria they had established. They considered seven health outcomes in their analysis. This review constituted the first comprehensive analysis to date on the impact of media exposure on the physical well-being of children.

In 80 percent of the 173 studies, the research evidence indicated that more time spent on media exposure was directly linked to increases in childhood obesity, smoking, and early initiation into sexual behavior. A majority of the studies also provided evidence of statistically significant correlations of media exposure with poor grades in school and use of drugs and alcohol.

The evidence was not as statistically compelling for an association between media exposure and ADHD (attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder).

The studies with the strongest evidence showed links between media use and obesity. About 93 percent of studies found that children with more media exposure were likely to have sex earlier.

The research team noted that there is still a lack of research on the impact of new technologies such as cellphones, the social networking sites (like MySpace and Facebook), YouTube and other new media.

They also acknowledged that children’s health is affected by other factors, such as socioeconomic status. For this reason, they selected only those researches that controlled for such variables.

Despite the large number of studies covered in the review, the researchers said there were very few studies that showed a positive relationship between media exposure and children’s health.

On the average, children immerse themselves in various media sources for about 45 hours a week. In comparison, children spend about 17 hours a week with their parents and 30 hours a week in school. Apart from sheer hours, content also matters a lot.

The team implores lawmakers to consider the health impact in formulating social policies and parents to seriously think about how they are rearing their kids.

This is a health issue. Inaction on the problems will eventually lead to more obesity, higher incidences of type 2 diabetes, violence, and teenage pregnancies.

Safety Tips:

* Limit TV time to 1-2 hours per day. Think about totally doing away with TV or cable.

* Learn how the new media works (e.g. text-messaging and social-networking sites) and make sure to be familiar with how the children use these media.

* Be firm in not allowing computers, TV and other media in children’s bedrooms.