User login
Preschoolers who watch violent television are more likely to have emotional and behavioral issues at the age of 12, according to investigators.
These findings align with previous studies that have shown the negative effects of watching violent content, reinforcing the importance of restricting childhood screen time, lead author Linda S. Pagani, PhD, of Université de Montréal and colleagues reported.
Past research measured the immediate or short-term effects of seeing violent media. This study examined how TV violence could be leading to issues almost a decade later, the investigators wrote in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics.
Their study looked at 1,976 children from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development, a random representative cohort of boys and girls followed since their births in 1997 and 1998.
At the cohort study follow-ups at ages 3.5 and 4.5 years, the parents of these children reported if their kids watched violent TV, showing that about half of them were exposed. At age 12, the same children were scored by their teachers on a range of psychosocial outcomes, including emotional distress, inattentive behavior, disorderly behavior, social withdrawal, classroom engagement, and overall academic achievement. At this second time point, the children also scored themselves on their own academic motivation and confidence in writing.
To adjust for other factors that could be playing a role, the investigators accounted for participant characteristics at various ages between 5 months and 12 years, as well as differences in parenting styles, home environment, and socioeconomic status.
Dr. Pagani noted that these were not “garden-variety” statistical techniques.
“We did them in such a way that we set ourselves up for not finding results,” Dr. Pagani said in an interview. “That’s why this is really interesting.”
She and her colleagues found that watching TV violence during preschool was significantly associated with multiple negative outcomes at age 12.
For girls, negative outcomes included greater emotional distress, less classroom engagement, lower academic achievement, and less academic motivation. Boys showed greater emotional distress, decreased attention, disorderly behavior, social withdrawal, less classroom engagement, lower academic achievement, and less academic motivation.
“As expected, early screen violence exposure seems to come at a cost,” the investigators wrote.
Seeing TV through a child’s eyes
According to Dr. Pagani, many parents think that TV shows watched by preschoolers – like cartoons – are harmless, but these parents need to understand that the brains of children are not yet fully developed.
“The kid has an interpretation that’s very concrete,” Dr. Pagani said. “They don’t have abstract thinking.”
Because of this, kids who see “good guys” beating up “bad guys” don’t understand that the violence is comical and justified; they just see violence being used to address social disagreement, Dr. Pagani said. This leads children to believe that violence is an acceptable way to solve problems in daily life. Children are also more likely to see hostility in others when it isn’t present, leading to conflict.
Although the natural response to these findings is to restrict childhood exposure to violent content, this may be easier said than done, the investigators noted, particularly because TV is no longer the only screen in the home, as it was when this study began. Nowadays, parents need to monitor multiple devices, including smartphones, tablets, and computers, all of which may negatively impact normal brain development.
“People think this technology is innocuous,” Dr. Pagani said. “We are asleep at the wheel.”
She advised parents to wake up and follow the World Health Organization guidelines for sedentary screen time. The guidelines call for no screen time at all until a child is at least 2 years old, and then less than 1 hour per day until age 5.
“It’s the parents who should be in charge,” she said. “They’re the ones who have the cognitive ability to make decisions for their children.”
Choosing quality time over screen time
Loredana Marchica, PhD, of Montreal Children’s Hospital and McGill University, also in Montreal, expressed confidence in the study findings, because the results line up with past research, and because the investigators accounted for other explanations.
There is a “very strong probability” that watching violent TV in preschool leads to psychological issues down the line, Dr. Marchica said.
If a child is exposed to violent content, then parents should help children understand the difference between what happens in TV shows and real life, she added, as this can reduce negative effects on behavior.
“Parents need to explain that it’s a TV show,” Dr. Marchica said. “It’s not real, and if [that violent act] happened in real life, it would actually hurt a person.”
In addition to limiting screen time and explaining any violent content, she encouraged parents to spend quality time with their children, especially during the preschool years.
“Those are the years to fortify the attachment you have with that child,” Dr. Marchica said. “Even 15 minutes a day of quality, interactive play time can make such a difference in their development, their imagination, and their social engagement and abilities.”
Parents should also try to have conversations with their young children, she said, noting that it’s okay to share personal feelings, as this teaches kids how to manage their own emotions.
“Not everything is wonderful in life, and we’re allowed to talk about that,” Dr. Marchica said. “[Parents can say,] ‘Mommy had a bad day today. This bad thing happened. But here’s what I did to make myself feel better.’ ”
Dr. Pagani and coauthors termed their findings “robust,” but also cautioned that, in their correlational study, TV violence cannot be interpreted as causal. In other limitations, they noted that the study relies on a single parent-reported item that yielded a low rate of reported exposure. Or the findings could result from other things, such as family chaos or parenting style or something else.
The longitudinal study was supported by Fondation Lucie et André Chagnon, the Institut de la Statistique du Québec, the Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur, and others. The investigators and Dr. Marchica reported no relevant conflicts of interest.
Preschoolers who watch violent television are more likely to have emotional and behavioral issues at the age of 12, according to investigators.
These findings align with previous studies that have shown the negative effects of watching violent content, reinforcing the importance of restricting childhood screen time, lead author Linda S. Pagani, PhD, of Université de Montréal and colleagues reported.
Past research measured the immediate or short-term effects of seeing violent media. This study examined how TV violence could be leading to issues almost a decade later, the investigators wrote in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics.
Their study looked at 1,976 children from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development, a random representative cohort of boys and girls followed since their births in 1997 and 1998.
At the cohort study follow-ups at ages 3.5 and 4.5 years, the parents of these children reported if their kids watched violent TV, showing that about half of them were exposed. At age 12, the same children were scored by their teachers on a range of psychosocial outcomes, including emotional distress, inattentive behavior, disorderly behavior, social withdrawal, classroom engagement, and overall academic achievement. At this second time point, the children also scored themselves on their own academic motivation and confidence in writing.
To adjust for other factors that could be playing a role, the investigators accounted for participant characteristics at various ages between 5 months and 12 years, as well as differences in parenting styles, home environment, and socioeconomic status.
Dr. Pagani noted that these were not “garden-variety” statistical techniques.
“We did them in such a way that we set ourselves up for not finding results,” Dr. Pagani said in an interview. “That’s why this is really interesting.”
She and her colleagues found that watching TV violence during preschool was significantly associated with multiple negative outcomes at age 12.
For girls, negative outcomes included greater emotional distress, less classroom engagement, lower academic achievement, and less academic motivation. Boys showed greater emotional distress, decreased attention, disorderly behavior, social withdrawal, less classroom engagement, lower academic achievement, and less academic motivation.
“As expected, early screen violence exposure seems to come at a cost,” the investigators wrote.
Seeing TV through a child’s eyes
According to Dr. Pagani, many parents think that TV shows watched by preschoolers – like cartoons – are harmless, but these parents need to understand that the brains of children are not yet fully developed.
“The kid has an interpretation that’s very concrete,” Dr. Pagani said. “They don’t have abstract thinking.”
Because of this, kids who see “good guys” beating up “bad guys” don’t understand that the violence is comical and justified; they just see violence being used to address social disagreement, Dr. Pagani said. This leads children to believe that violence is an acceptable way to solve problems in daily life. Children are also more likely to see hostility in others when it isn’t present, leading to conflict.
Although the natural response to these findings is to restrict childhood exposure to violent content, this may be easier said than done, the investigators noted, particularly because TV is no longer the only screen in the home, as it was when this study began. Nowadays, parents need to monitor multiple devices, including smartphones, tablets, and computers, all of which may negatively impact normal brain development.
“People think this technology is innocuous,” Dr. Pagani said. “We are asleep at the wheel.”
She advised parents to wake up and follow the World Health Organization guidelines for sedentary screen time. The guidelines call for no screen time at all until a child is at least 2 years old, and then less than 1 hour per day until age 5.
“It’s the parents who should be in charge,” she said. “They’re the ones who have the cognitive ability to make decisions for their children.”
Choosing quality time over screen time
Loredana Marchica, PhD, of Montreal Children’s Hospital and McGill University, also in Montreal, expressed confidence in the study findings, because the results line up with past research, and because the investigators accounted for other explanations.
There is a “very strong probability” that watching violent TV in preschool leads to psychological issues down the line, Dr. Marchica said.
If a child is exposed to violent content, then parents should help children understand the difference between what happens in TV shows and real life, she added, as this can reduce negative effects on behavior.
“Parents need to explain that it’s a TV show,” Dr. Marchica said. “It’s not real, and if [that violent act] happened in real life, it would actually hurt a person.”
In addition to limiting screen time and explaining any violent content, she encouraged parents to spend quality time with their children, especially during the preschool years.
“Those are the years to fortify the attachment you have with that child,” Dr. Marchica said. “Even 15 minutes a day of quality, interactive play time can make such a difference in their development, their imagination, and their social engagement and abilities.”
Parents should also try to have conversations with their young children, she said, noting that it’s okay to share personal feelings, as this teaches kids how to manage their own emotions.
“Not everything is wonderful in life, and we’re allowed to talk about that,” Dr. Marchica said. “[Parents can say,] ‘Mommy had a bad day today. This bad thing happened. But here’s what I did to make myself feel better.’ ”
Dr. Pagani and coauthors termed their findings “robust,” but also cautioned that, in their correlational study, TV violence cannot be interpreted as causal. In other limitations, they noted that the study relies on a single parent-reported item that yielded a low rate of reported exposure. Or the findings could result from other things, such as family chaos or parenting style or something else.
The longitudinal study was supported by Fondation Lucie et André Chagnon, the Institut de la Statistique du Québec, the Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur, and others. The investigators and Dr. Marchica reported no relevant conflicts of interest.
Preschoolers who watch violent television are more likely to have emotional and behavioral issues at the age of 12, according to investigators.
These findings align with previous studies that have shown the negative effects of watching violent content, reinforcing the importance of restricting childhood screen time, lead author Linda S. Pagani, PhD, of Université de Montréal and colleagues reported.
Past research measured the immediate or short-term effects of seeing violent media. This study examined how TV violence could be leading to issues almost a decade later, the investigators wrote in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics.
Their study looked at 1,976 children from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development, a random representative cohort of boys and girls followed since their births in 1997 and 1998.
At the cohort study follow-ups at ages 3.5 and 4.5 years, the parents of these children reported if their kids watched violent TV, showing that about half of them were exposed. At age 12, the same children were scored by their teachers on a range of psychosocial outcomes, including emotional distress, inattentive behavior, disorderly behavior, social withdrawal, classroom engagement, and overall academic achievement. At this second time point, the children also scored themselves on their own academic motivation and confidence in writing.
To adjust for other factors that could be playing a role, the investigators accounted for participant characteristics at various ages between 5 months and 12 years, as well as differences in parenting styles, home environment, and socioeconomic status.
Dr. Pagani noted that these were not “garden-variety” statistical techniques.
“We did them in such a way that we set ourselves up for not finding results,” Dr. Pagani said in an interview. “That’s why this is really interesting.”
She and her colleagues found that watching TV violence during preschool was significantly associated with multiple negative outcomes at age 12.
For girls, negative outcomes included greater emotional distress, less classroom engagement, lower academic achievement, and less academic motivation. Boys showed greater emotional distress, decreased attention, disorderly behavior, social withdrawal, less classroom engagement, lower academic achievement, and less academic motivation.
“As expected, early screen violence exposure seems to come at a cost,” the investigators wrote.
Seeing TV through a child’s eyes
According to Dr. Pagani, many parents think that TV shows watched by preschoolers – like cartoons – are harmless, but these parents need to understand that the brains of children are not yet fully developed.
“The kid has an interpretation that’s very concrete,” Dr. Pagani said. “They don’t have abstract thinking.”
Because of this, kids who see “good guys” beating up “bad guys” don’t understand that the violence is comical and justified; they just see violence being used to address social disagreement, Dr. Pagani said. This leads children to believe that violence is an acceptable way to solve problems in daily life. Children are also more likely to see hostility in others when it isn’t present, leading to conflict.
Although the natural response to these findings is to restrict childhood exposure to violent content, this may be easier said than done, the investigators noted, particularly because TV is no longer the only screen in the home, as it was when this study began. Nowadays, parents need to monitor multiple devices, including smartphones, tablets, and computers, all of which may negatively impact normal brain development.
“People think this technology is innocuous,” Dr. Pagani said. “We are asleep at the wheel.”
She advised parents to wake up and follow the World Health Organization guidelines for sedentary screen time. The guidelines call for no screen time at all until a child is at least 2 years old, and then less than 1 hour per day until age 5.
“It’s the parents who should be in charge,” she said. “They’re the ones who have the cognitive ability to make decisions for their children.”
Choosing quality time over screen time
Loredana Marchica, PhD, of Montreal Children’s Hospital and McGill University, also in Montreal, expressed confidence in the study findings, because the results line up with past research, and because the investigators accounted for other explanations.
There is a “very strong probability” that watching violent TV in preschool leads to psychological issues down the line, Dr. Marchica said.
If a child is exposed to violent content, then parents should help children understand the difference between what happens in TV shows and real life, she added, as this can reduce negative effects on behavior.
“Parents need to explain that it’s a TV show,” Dr. Marchica said. “It’s not real, and if [that violent act] happened in real life, it would actually hurt a person.”
In addition to limiting screen time and explaining any violent content, she encouraged parents to spend quality time with their children, especially during the preschool years.
“Those are the years to fortify the attachment you have with that child,” Dr. Marchica said. “Even 15 minutes a day of quality, interactive play time can make such a difference in their development, their imagination, and their social engagement and abilities.”
Parents should also try to have conversations with their young children, she said, noting that it’s okay to share personal feelings, as this teaches kids how to manage their own emotions.
“Not everything is wonderful in life, and we’re allowed to talk about that,” Dr. Marchica said. “[Parents can say,] ‘Mommy had a bad day today. This bad thing happened. But here’s what I did to make myself feel better.’ ”
Dr. Pagani and coauthors termed their findings “robust,” but also cautioned that, in their correlational study, TV violence cannot be interpreted as causal. In other limitations, they noted that the study relies on a single parent-reported item that yielded a low rate of reported exposure. Or the findings could result from other things, such as family chaos or parenting style or something else.
The longitudinal study was supported by Fondation Lucie et André Chagnon, the Institut de la Statistique du Québec, the Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur, and others. The investigators and Dr. Marchica reported no relevant conflicts of interest.
FROM THE JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL & BEHAVIORAL PEDIATRICS