GRAND Magazine - September 2009 - 43

header G R A N D PA Rt N e R s f o R G R A N D PA R e N ts Do You Use TV as a Babysitter? The next time you set the young one in your life in front of the TV, think carefully about what you’re doing, because the consequences for that child could be dire. Did you know that more homes have televisions than telephones? In fact, a recent survey revealed that there are now more televisions in the United States than people. Television is so much a part of our lives that most of us don’t think about how much time we spend watching, or how much time we allow our • children or grandchildren to spend watching TV. But recent studies prove that we need to think seriously about the toll television viewing • can take on our children’s mental and physical health. A recent study published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine found television viewing to be uniquely associated with high blood pressure in children ages 3 to 8. That is, when compared to other sedentary behaviors, such as reading a book or using the computer, only television viewing was associated with higher blood pressure. More surprising still, the effect seems to be completely unrelated to body fat or obesity level. Television viewing has been linked to childhood obesity. Studies have found a statistically significant correlation between media exposure and drug use. Add to this the ever-expanding body of literature pointing to all manner of negative health and psychological outcomes for children who spend a lot of time in front of the TV. Consider what some recent For guidelines on healthy viewing, family-friendly viewing picks, studies have revealed. and additional TV research and data, please visit us online at www.ParentsTV.org. • Media products associated with the sexualization of young girls have been linked to common mental health problems in girls such as eating disorders, low self-esteem and depression. • Teens exposed to high levels of sexual media content are likely to become sexually active earlier than peers with less exposure and are twice as likely to be involved in a pregnancy as teens with the least exposure. Teens with higher exposure to media violence are more prone to violence and aggression. Visit www.ParentsTV.org to learn more about what you can do to protect the children in your life from media’s harmful influences. It would unfair and inaccurate to say that television is universally bad. There are many worthwhile, entertaining, educational and informative programs on television that can be safely enjoyed by the family. The question, really, is how much TV is too much? Today in America, most children spend more time watching television than in any other activity except sleep and more than two-thirds of American children have a television set in their bedrooms. If we care about the children in our lives, we cannot continue to allow television to dominate their free time. TAGLINE M REGISTRA EXACTLY W • LOGO can be NO smaller than this size (2.5” W x 3.25” H) The Parents Television Council (PTC) is recognized under Federal tax code as a 501 (c)(3) public charity and receives 90% of its support from individual donors throughout the United States. 52 GRAND JANUARY FEBRUARY 2008 L P

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GRAND Magazine - September 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GRAND Magazine - September 2009