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TV watching takes away from
family time United Press
International
Feb 7, 2006 AUSTIN, TX, United
States (UPI) -- A study by Texas and
Harvard researchers says television
watching cuts into a child`s
creative play and family
interaction.
The report by researchers from The
University of Texas at Austin and
Harvard Children`s Hospital in the
journal Pediatrics provides evidence
that supports the American Academy
of Pediatrics television viewing
recommendations.
The AAP recommends that children
under the age of 2 should not watch
television and children older than
two should watch no more than two
hours of television daily.
While television time impinged on
familial interactions for all age
groups, Dr. Elizabeth Vandewater and
her colleagues found this to be
strongest in older children, ages 9
to 12, because they spent less time
with their parents overall.
'Though AAP is specifically
concerned about younger kids, I
would urge parents to consider how
television is impinging on their
time with older kids as well,' says
Vandewater.
Vandewater said she was surprised to
find that television watching did
not interfere with reading or
playing outdoors.
'If television is implicated in a
problem like childhood obesity, it`s
likely something about the content,
not the time spent watching it,' she
said.
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