–  Watching television during the early years is not recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Babies and toddlers exposed to prolonged screen time will have more sleep problems, weight issues, attention deficits and school difficulties. Moreover, according to a new study, one more inconvenience can now be added to the list: being bullied. The number of hours young children are spending in front of the tube is correlated to how much they’ll be bullied in the sixth grade.

– It seems that kids exposed to passive screen time miss precious one-on-one interaction with real people, a crucial experience for social skills development. Due to their subsequent poor social abilities, early TV watchers may, a few years later, stand out among their more socially-savvy peers as tempting bullying targets. “It is plausible that early lifestyle characterized by less effortful interactive experiences, such as early televiewing, can ultimately result in social skills deficits,” said Linda Pagani, a researcher at the University of Montreal, lead author of the study.

Image: Children Watching TV / Wikimedia Commons

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