TV keeping kids up at night!
Is your child up watching TV when she should be sleeping? Middle school children who have a TV or computer in their room sleep less during the school year, watch more TV, play more computer games and surf the net more than their peers who don’t according to research conducted by the University of Haifa and Jezreel Valley College.
Researchers followed over 400 middle school pupils, average age 14. The children were asked about their sleep habits, their use of computer and television, and their eating habits while watching TV or using the computer.
The kids reported an average bedtime of 11pm and wake-up time of 6.45am. On the weekends, the average bedtime was much later – 1.45am and they woke later too – at 11.30am. Those children with TVs or computers in their room went to sleep half an hour later on average but woke up at the same time.
According to the study, middle school pupils watch a daily average of two hours and 40 minutes of TV and use their computer for three hours and 45 minutes. On weekends, they watch half an hour more TV than during the rest of the week and use their computers for four hours. Children with a TV in their room watch an hour more than those without and those with their own computer use it an hour more than their peers.
A fifth of pupils said they ate in front of the TV set on a regular basis, while 70% said they did so only occasionally. Only 10% reported never eating in front of the TV. Computers were considered to be a less attractive eating place, with only 10% eating in front of the computer on a regular basis, 40% occasionally, and half never eating there.
According to the researchers, there is a direct connection between exposure to the media and eating in front of the TV or computer; the more a child watches TV or uses the computer, the greater the chance he will eat in front of the screen.
Previous research suggests that insufficient sleep in adolescents may not only contribute to lower grades and a lack of motivation, but may also increase the odds of serious levels of emotional and behavioral disturbances, including ADHD. Both lack of skeep and eating in front of the TV is also thought to be a factor in the child obesity epidemic. Studies have also shown that children who sit down to eat with their families as opposed to chowing down on a TV dinner eat a lot more healthfully and also eat more vegetables. From an emotional standpoint, children who frequently eat with their families have better results at school, are less depressed and less likely to drink alcohol, smoke, or use marijuana than children who eat with their families less than twice a week.