Exposure to television -- any kind of television -- is a risk
factor for aggressive behavior among 3-year-olds, according to a
new national study co-written by a Tulane University faculty
member. The correlation holds even when other influences such as
parental problems, poverty and exposure to violence are factored
in, and it doesn't seem to matter whether the child is watching
it or whether the set is on in the household, researchers found.
"Early childhood aggression can be problematic for parents,
teachers and childhood peers and sometimes is predictive of more
serious behavior problems to come, such as juvenile delinquency,
adulthood violence and criminal behavior," the scientists wrote.
Television is "mesmerizing," especially for a young child, said
Catherine Taylor, a co-author of the study and an assistant
professor of community health science at Tulane's School of
Public Health and Tropical Medicine. Even if a child is watching
television with a parent who might choose what a child sees and
explain w