Television as Child Abuse

Michael Medved's Townhall.com commentary:

Parents who permit television sets in their children's bedrooms sharply increase risks for negative outcomes on a wide range of physiological, emotional, and academic measures. Collating stunning research from leading journals of pediatric and adolescent medicine, the Science Section of the New York Times concluded: "Children with bedroom TVs score lower on school tests and are more likely to have sleep problems. Having a television in the bedroom is strongly associated with being overweight and a higher risk for smoking."

One sobering study of kids between 4 and 7 showed that a TV in the bedroom increased weekly viewing by nearly nine hours--from 21 hours, to 30!

It's therefore alarming that a survey of third-graders at all income levels showed 70 percent of them with TV's in their rooms. As some of us have urged for 20 years, few policies will benefit your family more reliably than getting rid of television sets from every bedroom in the home.

Yes, please get rid of TVs in your kids' bedrooms so Michael Medved can quit talking about this subject. This habit is made all the more annoying by his being 100% correct.

Also sprach this, Mr. Z!