TV, Babies, Toddlers, and ADHD (Part 3 - conclusion)

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It's Official: TV Linked to Attention Deficit (Part 3 - conclusion)

babies and toddlers parked in front of the TV have a much higher risk of developing ADHD by age 7, a new study showsby Jean Lotus
Reprinted here with permission from Jean Lotus, Whitedot.org.



Leaving a child alone with the TV is never a good idea.



"Would you entrust you toddler into the care of a baby sitter, even for a few minutes, who cannot hear or see your child?" writes Nancy Hall of Yale University’s Bush Center in Child Development and Social Policy. "Would you leave your child in an environment that encourages passivity, limits creativity and results in increased aggressive behavior? Many 1-year-olds are spending time regularly with just such a baby sitter: the television set."



What is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder?



ADHD affects 12 percent of US school children and has increased dramatically over the past 50 years. Studies show ADHD increased with the introduction of children’s television in the 1950s and then spiked higher in the mid 1980s when VCRs and home video became commonplace. Although the condition is known to be genetic, scientists have noted its rapid spread throughout every social class of children, and guessed that there could be an environmental cause. TV watching is a cause, this study shows.



How much TV should I let my baby watch?



No child under age two should watch television at all, the Academy of American Pediatrics advised in 1998. Doctors blame TV for increasing aggression and obesity in children, now they add ADHD risk to early TV use.