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Level of physical activity related to lower screen time. Children on sports teams were less likely to exceed recommended screen time limits. The odds that a child would exceed screen-time limits decreased as the number of physical activity sessions, free-time and/or organized activities, increased. In other words, the more physically active the child, the less of a couch potato he is.
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Screen time increased dramatically with age: only 16.7% of 9- to 10-year old children reported screen time exceeding the two hour per day limit recommended by experts, while 38.9% of 14- to 15-year-olds went over the limit;
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Number reporting minimal screen time dropped dramatically with age: The number of children with daily screen time of less than 30 minutes per day declined with age: while 38.9% of children aged 9 to 10 reported minimal daily screen time, only 18.2% of children aged 14 to 15 years reported screen time of less than one-half hour per day. Children in homes where parents set limits on screen time were more likely to watch less than 30 minutes a day and less likely to warch more than 120 minutes of television.
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Cable television linked to increased screen time. The presence of cable television in the home (76.9% of parents reported having cable) was associated with children exceeding screen time limits.
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Scree-time limit disconnect: Less than half (49.2%) of parents reported that they always or very often placed limits on the time their children could watch television; less than four in ten (37.1%) of children readily agreed that their parents set screen-time limits. Perception is reality: that fewer kids believe their parents are setting screen-time limits than parents think they are suggests that parents either that parents are not being honest with themselves or aren't doing a good enough job communicating the rules to their kids.
- Lack of parental knowledge, family income, ethnicity, gender, linked to increased screen time. Boys, children of black race/ethnicity, children from lower-income families, and from families where parents were not aware of the recommended limit of no more than two hour of quality media time per day were more likely to exceed the limits than other groups.
Screen time linked to negative behaviors, health
The viewing of screen media (television, video games, and computers for non-school-related use) has been associated with:
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youth alcohol use;
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early sexual activity;
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negative body image;
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eating disorders;
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aggressive behaviors;
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lower educational achievement; and
- higher body mass index (BMI).
Recommendations
The study authors recommend programs to:
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educate parents about recommended screen-time limits;
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encourage parents to set and enforce consistent limits on screen time;
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educate children to increase their awareness of the importance of limiting television-viewing time; and
- promote physical activity alternatives to sedentary scree-time behavior.
1. Carlson, Susan A. "Influence of Limit-Setting and Participation in Physical Activity on Youth Screen Time," Pediatrics 126, no. 1 (July (2010): e89-e96.
Created June 14, 2010
