Article no.

4 (Education Lessons) 1

TV Rots The Brain

Written by: Chris Cotter

For years and years, parents and educators have warned about too much TV. They say that it rots the brain. Another
report with new research confirms this. Investigators followed a community of 678 mother-child pairs in upstate New
York. All the children were 14 years old, and the study continued for eight years. The report concluded that learning
and attention problems increased with the number of hours of TV that was watched. And with shorter attention spans,
the children usually did poorer at school.

The researchers disclose that several points aren't clear. Does TV lead to lower grades? Do children with lower grades
turn to TV more than better students? Or does increased TV time and lower grades come from poverty and neglect?
But the outcome remained clear for those glued to the idiot box. These children were less likely to work hard at school.
They avoided homework, were bored in the classroom, dropped out of high school, and often had a general hatred
toward school and learning.

Children in first world countries around the world generally watch two or more hours of TV every day. According to this
new set of research, two hours seems to be the recommended limit. Children in the study who watched two hours or
less, and then increased their TV time by one hour, doubled their risk of learning difficulties. Children with two hours or
more in front of the TV, and who then lowered their viewing time by one hour, halved their risk for failure.

The researchers offered a way to prevent children from becoming couch potatoes. They suggested schools and
community centers develop more activities after school. It would help limit how many hours children watch TV during
their teen years.