TV is great for entertainment, or for passing time. However, TV Time for kids can be harmful if it's excessive. Watching TV Too often can make kids not ready for school.
A study has found that kids who watch too much TV might make them not yet ready for school. This is so for kindergarten kids who watch more than two hours of TV daily. Kids watching more than two hours of TV daily are more than the recommended daily TV time by the AAP.
The AAP has updated the recommended daily television watching for kids between two to five years old. In 2016 the AAP has said that daily television viewing for kids should only be one hour. This is one hour less than what the AAP has said back in 2001.
Watching media in general is more than ever today. For kids, TV is not the only distraction, but there is the internet and smartphones as well. This has been the observation of Andrew Ribner, lead author of the study and a doctoral candidate taking up Applied Psychology at New York University Steinhardt. He has said that with current technology, kids are more engaged in watching media more than ever.
Ribner has made the study in order to find out if too much TV does not affect only studies, but if it has to do with the socioeconomic status of the family as well. He has studied taken of 807 kindergartners from different economic backgrounds. In the data, parents have reported on their economic status as well as the number of hours their children spend with TV, according to NYU's site.
The children were also tested on their math, language and reading skills. Longer time spent watching TV affects children's skills. Math, language and reading skills are decreased in kids who spent more time watching TV, as Science Daily reports. Children who watched more than two hours of TV were the most affected.
While overall the children's skills were affected, language skill was the one that saw the least drop, Children's literacy might be improved when they watch TV, especially if they watch educational shows. It has also been shown that children in higher income families watch more educational shows than those from lower income. Higher income parents would also more likely watch educational shows with their kids than lower income ones.
Television can be good if watched in moderation, and if children watch educational shows. Watching TV too often can make kids not ready for school. A study has found that stuffed animals sleepovers help children read better.
