3 imperatives to transform health care in America. You're invited to watch it live

Free

E-newsletter

Subscribe to Housecall

Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics.

Sign up now

Children and TV: Limiting your child's screen time

Children and TV often go hand in hand. Understand the effects of too much screen time — and how to enforce reasonable limits.

By Mayo Clinic staff

Are you concerned about how much time your child spends watching TV or playing video games? Although some screen time can be educational, it's easy to go overboard. Consider this guide to children and TV, including what you can do to keep your child's screen time in check.

The effects of too much screen time

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends limiting a child's use of TV, movies, video and computer games to no more than one or two hours a day. Too much screen time has been linked to:

  • Obesity. Children who watch more than two hours of TV a day are more likely to be overweight.
  • Irregular sleep. The more TV children watch, the more likely they are to resist going to bed and to have trouble falling asleep.
  • Behavioral problems. Elementary students who spend more than two hours a day watching TV or using a computer are more likely to have emotional, social and attention problems. Exposure to video games also increases the risk of attention problems in children. Children who watch excessive amounts of TV are more likely to bully than children who don't.
  • Impaired academic performance. Elementary students who have TVs in their bedrooms tend to perform worse on tests than those who don't.
  • Violence. Too much exposure to violence on TV and in movies, music videos, and video and computer games can desensitize children to violence. As a result, children may learn to accept violent behavior as a normal part of life and a way to solve problems.
  • Less time for play. Excessive screen time leaves less time for active, creative play.
Next page
(1 of 2)
References
  1. Christakis DA, et al. Television, video and computer game usage in children under 11 years of age. The Journal of Pediatrics. 2004;145:652.
  2. Dennison BA, et al. Television viewing and television in bedroom associated with overweight risk among low-income preschool children. Pediatrics. 2002;109:1028.
  3. The benefits of limiting TV. American Academy of Pediatrics. http://www.healthychildren.org/English/family-life/Media/Pages/The-Benefits-of-Limiting-TV.aspx. Accessed Jan. 7, 2011.
  4. Jordan AB, et al. Reducing children's television-viewing time: A qualitative study of parents and their children. Pediatrics. 2006;118:e1303.
  5. Ginsburg KR, et al. The importance of play in promoting healthy child development and maintaining strong parent-child bonds. Pediatrics. 2007;119:182.
  6. Thompson DA, et al. The association between television viewing and irregular sleep schedules among children less than 3 years of age. Pediatrics. 2005;116:851.
  7. Borzekowski DLG, et al. The remote, the mouse and the No. 2 pencil: The household media environment and academic achievement among third grade students. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. 2005;159:607.
  8. Zimmerman FJ, et al. Early cognitive stimulation, emotional support, and television watching as predictors of subsequent bullying among grade-school children. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. 2005;159:384.
  9. Media education: What parents can do. American Academy of Pediatrics. http://www.healthychildren.org/English/family-life/Media/Pages/Media-Education-What-Parents-Can-Do.aspx. Accessed Jan. 7, 2011.
  10. Laurson KR, et al. Combined influence of physical activity and screen time on recommendations on childhood overweight. The Journal of Pediatrics. 2008;153:209.
  11. Broughton DD. Keeping kids safe in cyberspace. AAP News. 2005;26:11.
  12. Children, adolescents and television. American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Public Education. Pediatrics. 2001;107:423.
  13. Page AS, et al. Children's screen viewing is related to psychological difficulties irrespective of physical activity. Pediatrics. 2010;126:e1011.
  14. Sege RD. Television and media violence. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 5, 2011.
  15. Christakis DA, et al. Preschool-aged children's television viewing in child care settings. Pediatrics. 2009;124:1627.
  16. What children are not doing when watching TV. American Academy of Pediatrics. http://www.healthychildren.org/English/family-life/Media/Pages/What-Children-are-NOT-Doing-When-Watching-TV.aspx. Accessed Jan. 7, 2011.
  17. Swing EL, et al. Television and video game exposure and the development of attention problems. Pediatrics. 2010;126:214.
MY00522 April 2, 2011

© 1998-2013 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). All rights reserved. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. "Mayo," "Mayo Clinic," "MayoClinic.com," "EmbodyHealth," "Enhance your life," and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

  • Reprints
  • Print

  • Share on:

  • Email

Advertisement


Text Size: smaller largerlarger