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More than 3 hours of TV may lead to conduct problems in children

Children aged 5 years who watched television for 3 or more hours a day experienced a small increase in conduct problems, according to researchers. Playing video games, however, did not affect behavior.

“Heavy screen time might impair children’s mental health in various ways, particularly if it involves viewing material not primarily designed for children and/or with less adult supervision,” the researchers wrote.

Alison Parkes, MRC, CSO, and colleagues from the University of Glasgow examined the psychological and social impact of watching television and playing video games in more than 11,000 children who were enrolled in the UK Millennium Cohort Study, which was conducted to track the long-term development of a nationally representative sample of children living in the United Kingdom. The researchers relied upon parent reports of conduct problems, hyperactivity, inattention and prosocial behavior, and controlled for family characteristics and functioning and child functioning in their analyses.

The effect of watching television for 3 hours or more at 5 years of age was relatively minor, predicting a 0.13 point increase in conduct problems by 7 years of age as reflected in a subscale of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (95% CI, 0.03-0.24). Parkes and colleagues found no relationship between screen time and emotional symptoms, hyperactivity, inattention, peer relationship problems or prosocial behavior.

Previous research has suggested that children who watched more television were significantly more likely to have criminal convictions, be diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder and have aggressive personalities in adulthood.

“Our findings do not demonstrate that interventions to reduce screen exposure will improve psychosocial adjustment,” the researchers wrote. “Indeed, they suggest that interventions in respect of family and child characteristics, rather than a narrow focus on screen exposure, are more likely to improve outcomes.”

Parkes and colleagues added that the study results warrant a cautious view of screen time, particularly with its effect on a child’s conduct.

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.