"TV and computer games use up time which could otherwise be devoted to family things, play or reading, all of which are important for normal speech and language development as well as the development of social skills," added BBC consultant Dr Trisha Macnair. "Television is turning children to tubbies as they sit around more and get out and about less.”TV also encourages children to follow a junk food diet because it bombards them with images of high fat, high sugar snacks and drinks."
Shortly afterwards it was revealed that a third of children under three had televisions in their bedrooms, where parental supervision is slight. One in three children under the age of six was found to be watching television for between two and six hours a day.
British sleep deprivation expert Prof Jim Horne found that up to two-thirds of British children were not getting enough sleep and that by the time a child reaches seven he will have missed out on as much as 4,500 hours sleep. The culprits are televisions and computer games, says Mr. Horne. "Bedrooms are changing from a place of rest and tranquility to places where there are lots of things to keep children awake," he noted. Sleep deprivation can harm neurological development and can contribute to behavioral problems. Two-year-olds should be getting 13 hours a day, three and four-year-olds 12 hours and five and six-year-olds 11 hours. Many get much less.
The actual content of the programming is another topic of hot debate, with concerns about violence topping the agenda. If your child is sitting down in front of cartoons every day you may not think it's a problem, but a US national television violence study found that nearly two-thirds of programs contained violence and that children's programs actually contained the most violence. Psychologist Dr George Gerbner found that children's television shows contain about 20 violent acts an hour.
By the time your child is 18 he or she will have witnessed 200,000 acts of violence on television, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (APA). By the time he reaches 70 he will have spent seven to 10 years of his life in front of the box.
In fact child development specialist Dr Steve Green says youngsters will have spent more time in front of the TV than in the classroom when they graduate from school. The APA argues that children, who see too much violence on television become less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others, become more fearful of the world around them and are more likely to behave aggressively. It also estimates that the average American child views 10,000 murders, rapes and aggravated assaults per year on television and says that American television and movies are the most violent in the world. Many of these programs are screened on satellite channels beamed into Bahrain.
The impact of TV violence can be seen immediately and can even shape a child's future. In a study at Pennsylvania State University, US, 100 pre-school children were observed before and after watching different cartoons. Those who had watched aggressive cartoons were more likely to strike out at playmates, argue, disobey authority and were less patient than those who watched the non-violent shows.
In a longer study Dr Leonard Eron observed youngsters who watched many hours of television violence, from elementary level to the age of 30. Those who were avid viewers were more aggressive as they grew up and more likely to be convicted of criminal acts than those who hadn't been.
In rare cases children can experience deep psychological trauma after watching inappropriate programs for their age group. Two 10-year-olds were separately referred to a psychiatric unit in Britain after watching the horror program Ghostwatch one Halloween. They were diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder and one had to be admitted to the unit for two months to give staff a chance to ease his fears. The youngsters experienced nightmares, flashbacks and panic attacks.
Satellite television is contributing to the ever-increasing amount of TV children are viewing. Ten years ago children in Bahrain were restricted to just a few hours a day of cartoons and children's shows, but now there are 24-hour cartoon channels which can tempt them at any time of the day or night.
The array of adult programs on during the day mean that channel surfing youngsters can easily stumble upon violent, frightening or even sexually provocative shows. "Technological advances, including satellite television and the information superhighway, give children easier access to a wide range of violent images, with less prospect of effective censorship," says consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr Dora Black.
However, most experts are agreed that television is useful and beneficial for children in moderation. Parents should also choose shows which have an educational content and which encourage children to participate in activities away from the screen, like making crafts. It's also important to get your children involved in other sociable activities so they interact with others, get exercise and learn that there is more to life than the television.
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