Question: My son and his wife have two children ages 3 and 5. Whenever we go to visit them, our grandchildren almost always are watching television while my son and daughter-in-law are busy doing their own thing. Is this harming my grandchildren’s brains?
Dr. Amen's Answer:
There is a good reason why television is called the “boob tube.” It is not good for brain development, and viewing too much TV as a toddler can lead to a host of behavioral and emotional problems.
A study published in the journal Pediatrics showed that, for every hour a day children watch TV, their risk of being diagnosed with ADD increases by 10 percent. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh found that the risk of a child becoming depressed increased 8 percent for every extra hour of television they watch.
And a 2009 report in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine showed that 3-year-olds who are exposed to more TV are more likely to exhibit aggressive or violent behavior.
Encourage your son and his wife to spend more time with their children playing games, doing arts and crafts, or engaging in fun physical activities. If they are too busy, perhaps you could volunteer to spend a little more time with your grandchildren.
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