Too much TV leads to antisocial traits
The first "real-life" study that links TV viewing and antisocial traits has been published on this month. Children and adolescents who watch a lot of television are more likely to exhibit antisocial and criminal behavior when they become adults, according to new research.
Scientists tracked about 1,000 children born in 1972-73. Every two years between the ages of 5 and 15, they were asked how much television they watched. Those who watched more television were found to be more likely to have a criminal conviction and were also more likely to have antisocial personality traits in adulthood. The risk of having a criminal conviction by early adulthood increased by about 30 percent with every hour that children spent watching TV on an average weeknight. Watching more TV in childhood was associated, in adulthood, with aggressive personality traits, an increased tendency to experience negative emotions, and an increased risk of antisocial personality disorder. This relationship between TV viewing and antisocial behavior excludes socio-economic status, aggressive or antisocial behavior in early childhood, or parenting factors. It's not that children who were already antisocial watched more television, rather contrary. These findings are consistent with most of the research and provides further evidence that excessive television can have long-term consequences for behavior.
This suggests that reducing TV viewing could reduce antisocial behavior in society
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children should watch no more than 1 to 2 hours of quality television programming each day
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