RESEARCH NOTES TV programs foster bullying “Social bullying is common on TV, even in shows made for kids, a new study shows. Insults, taunting, and other forms of nonphysical aggression were found to be especially pervasive in cartoons and situation comedies, but they also showed up in some surprising places, like American Idol....On average, there were about 14 incidents an hour of social aggression in the 50 most watched television shows among 2- to 11-year-olds, and about nine out of 10 shows contained the bad behavior.” — Salynn Boyles, “Social Bullying Common in TV Shows Kids Watch,” WebMD Health News, www.emedicinehealth.com/script/main/art.asp? articlekey=163447, Accessed September 27, 2012.
Background TV takes toll A recent study finds that background TV affects children’s attention and focus. “Children younger than age 8 spend an average of nearly four hours each day near the canned patter of an unattended TV. Children 8 months to 2 years get TV in the background for nearly six hours each day.” This background TV affects children’s attention and focus. Pediatrician Roya Samuels says: “The more time the television is on, even if it’s just on in the background, the greater risk there is for seeing increased distractibility in our children. It really raises the question of whether or not this is a contributing factor to our rise in ADHD diagnoses.” Study recommendations: • Turn off TV if no one is watching. • Do not place a TV in child’s bedroom. • Limit amount of TV viewing. American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations: • For children two years of age and younger: no viewing. • For older children: “no more than one to two hours per day of educational, nonviolent programs.” — Brenda Goodman, “Background TV Takes a Toll on Children,” WebMD Health News, http:// children.webmd.com/news/20121001/backgroundtv-takes-toll-children, Accessed October 3, 2012.
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