"I've often said that I wouldn't be the person I am today without cable television. I felt bad for all the kids without Nickelodeon who didn't get to watch The World of David the Gnome (the guy got to ride around on a fox named Swift! How cool is that?), or get so into episodes of Double Dare that they'd start running around the house with their sister, making up "physical challenges" for one another. (This may or may not have led to the destruction of a few decorative pieces in the house- I'll never tell.)
But for all the shows I loved, my parents had me into a heap of other activities. I was signed up for softball and field hockey before I was old enough to really know what they were, baton twirling class (disaster of epic proportions), swim lessons (made it all the way from tadpole to shark!) and rounded things out with frequent attendance at the local library's "story time."
I don't think it'll shock anyone that kids today are spending more time in front of the TV than ever before. But a new study is saying that this kind of extended TV-watching is leading to behavioral problems at school, lower test scores, and less healthy overall choices.
Reported in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, the study finds that children watching more than one to two hours daily have a decline in overall activity, an increase in soft drink and snack consumption, along with a five percent increase in body mass index. Other effects are: shorter attention spans, slower language acquisition, increased aggression, and weight gain.
The First Lady is trying to address this problem with her "Let's Move!" program. What alternatives do you give your kids to watching TV? How do you get them interested in other activities? Do you limit what your kids watch?"
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