Of all the modern technological conveniences, the one that gets the worst press -- worse even than the cell phone -- is the television. The ubiquitous box has been accused of destroying traditional cultures, contributing to the breakdown of community, fragmenting family life and promoting obesity and aggression in the young. Now comes a report that television may actually "rewire" the developing brains of very young children, increasing the risk of so-called attention-deficit disorders later.
Because television has been blamed for so many social ills, and because the whole idea of attention-deficit disorders can sometimes seem so faddish, it is tempting to dismiss this new claim as just another trend-driven attack on an easy target. That would be a pity. Parents should probably take this study by scientists at the Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle seriously.
In the study, reported in the April issue of Pediatrics, the parents of 1,345 children were questioned about their children's viewing habits and then about their behavior at the age of 7. The children who had watched the most television were more likely to rank in the top 10 percent for concentration problems, impulsiveness, restlessness and being easily confused. The researchers said that each hour of television children watch per day up to the age of 3 raises by almost 10 percent the risk that they will suffer attention problems at age 7.