Dr. Marla Shapiro: Study links TV exposure and behaviour in
young children A pair of children are shown watching television.
Published Tuesday, October 2, 2012 7:37AM EDT Last Updated
Tuesday, October 2, 2012 10:38AM EDT When it comes to media
exposure at a young age, the expert bodies are clear. Media
exposure should be avoided. That is because there is an
association between media exposure in young age groups and
behavioural outcomes, regardless of what the content of the show
is. The kinds of behavioural outcomes reported include
aggressive behaviour and attention problems. Poor attention
ability and aggression in children are labelled as externalizing
problems. In addition, this term also includes hyperactivity,
non compliance and attention difficulties. It has been reported
that 17 to 48 per cent of children aged three years or younger
watch television with as many as 73 per cent of preschoolers
watching two hours of television on a daily basis. In this
week's Archives of Paediatric and Adolescent Medici