Parents Influence TV Watching Time of Children

A latest research states that parents' television viewing habits influence the amount of time that children spend in front of the screen.

The study of 629 youngsters below age 17 and 1,550 parents found that for every hour a parent watched television the child viewed TV for 23 additional minutes. The children were divided into three groups; kids up to five years of age, six to 11 and 12 to 17.

"If Mom and Dad automatically turn on the TV when they have free time, it's likely that their kids will learn to do the same," said study author Amy Bleakley, policy research scientist at the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center, Philadelphia. Bleakly said a greater focus on parents may help in reducing TV viewing time among children.

The researchers studied a 2012 online survey that collected information on the time children and parents watched TV shows, DVDs and movies. It found that on an average parents watched TV for four hours every day and children watched nearly three hours a day. The TV watching time increased with age among children. 

"In general, we found that across children of all ages, the amount of time a parent spends watching television is strongly associated with their child's television time," Bleakley said.

Previous studies found that children watch more TV when it is placed in the bedroom.  The researchers said that it could be because of parents' control over the watching time of their children. "Because parents would most often make the decision to put a television in their child's bedroom, their decision may be based in part on their own preferences, values, and viewing practices," the study authors noted.

The research findings also showed that only the group of six to 11 years old watched TV with their parents. The study team noted that co-viewing is often used as a tool by parents to control the content their children watch on TV.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations, children below age of two should not watch TV and older children should be set a limit of two hours a day of non-educational programs.

"Parents may not realize how their media habits shape their children's habits. They may find that if they curtail their own time with TV, their children will follow suit," the researchers concluded.