TVs in Kids' Bedrooms Linked to Lower School Performance
MINNEAPOLIS, May 9, 2002 (BUSINESS WIRE FEATURES) -- A National Institute on Media and the Family study published in the current issue of the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology shows TVs in children's bedrooms are linked to lower performance in school and unhealthy media habits that can lead to obesity, aggression, underage drinking, and a host of other problems. Douglas Gentile, Ph.D., director of research for the Institute, and David Walsh, Ph.D., the Institute's president and founder, are the authors of the national study, which randomly surveyed 527 parents of two- to 17-year-old children.
The new study links bedroom TVs with lowered school performance and offers the most comprehensive analysis of why bedroom TVs are so detrimental to children. According to the study, a combination of five factors contributes to the negative effects of having a television in a child's bedroom:
-- Children watch five and a half more hours of TV per week.
-- Parents are less able to monitor what their children see.
-- Parents are less able to be consistent with rules for watching media.
-- Children participate in fewer activities other than watching electronic media.
-- Children do worse in school.
The study, titled "A normative study of family media habits," is part of a mounting body of research documenting the hazardous effects of unmonitored media consumption by young people.
"Our study shows bedroom TVs are harmful for kids," said Dr. Douglas Gentile. "Parents who want their children to do well in school, be physically healthy, and not become aggressive and violent should keep TVs out of kids' bedrooms."
"This study confirms what I've been hearing from teachers for years," said Dr. David Walsh. "Teachers have repeatedly confided to me that they can identify kids who have TVs in their bedrooms without even asking them."
The National Institute on Media and the Family is an independent non-partisan, non-sectarian, non-profit organization. The Institute's mission is to maximize the benefits and minimize the harm mass media have on children through research and education. For more information visit www.mediafamily.org on the Web or call 1-888-672-5437.
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Nat Bennett, 651/221-1999
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