Parents’ TV binges bad for kids
Television • Parents may try to curb their children’s TV-watching habits by setting ground rules such as no television after school or in their bedrooms, but it turns out their own TV binges may have a profound effect on the amount of time kids spend in front of the tube.
New research, published this week in the medical journal Pediatrics, reveals that parental TV habits matter a lot.
Study author Dr. Amy Bleakley found that children mimic their parents’ viewing habits based on how much TV parents consume, and that has even more of an effect than where a TV is located or what viewing rules exist.
Results showed that each hour of adult TV time meant an additional half-hour for children. As well, house rules and the location of the TV weren’t as influential as parental viewing patterns.