Aric Sigman, an associate fellow of the British Psychological Society, reviewed 35 academic studies for a report on the health risks of TV viewing. He came to the conclusion that watching too much TV poses 15 heath risks to children; including obesity and premature puberty.
Sigman said spending hours slumped into front of the small screen was the greatest unacknowledged health threat of our time. He wants official daily viewing limits, with youngsters under three not allowed to watch any TV at all, and parents to banish sets from bedrooms.
Television over-indulgence leads to an increased risk of obesity and heart disease from higher cholesterol, caused by the lack of exercise. Other risks include poor concentration, as brain cells governing attention span are impaired; and learning problems, as a result of poor intellectual stimulation.
It can work the other way too. Some types of television programs and video games - over-stimulate the senses; and can upset sleep patterns. Meanwhile, the light from sets can suppress the key hormone melatonin, raising the risk of cell DNA mutations, which can cause cancer. Low levels of melatonin are also linked to premature puberty.
At a conference in Westminster, Sigman told MPs that TV viewing should be rationed with a system of recommended daily allowances. According to his recommendations, children aged three to seven should be limited to 30 minutes to one hour a day. Seven to 12-year-olds could be allowed an hour daily. This would be upped to 90 minutes for 12 to 15-year-olds and two hours for the over-16s. Good luck with that! This is pure conjecture, but I would be surprised if the good professor has young kids of his own.
Perhaps more disturbingly, the report by Sigman points to a higher risk of autism, linked to a lack of social interaction - and Alzheimers disease, which has been linked to heavy viewing. Eye damage and a slower metabolism may result from staring at the screen; while children can be more vulnerable to type 2 diabetes, from eating high-calorie food while watching television. Altered hormone levels may also increase body fat, while waves emitted by sets are linked to changes in skin cells.
What is more alarming than the scary conclusions above is that there is really not a lot parents of young and teenage children can do about it. To start with, many of the older folks are couch potatoes themselves, so they are hardly setting a good example. Secondly, television, video games and websites like YouTube have become such an integral part of young peoples lives, that cutting them off from it would almost like severing an umbilical cord. As parents down the generations have learnt the hard way, laying down the law to your kids rarely works. One can only hope that good sense will prevail eventually.