Social/Kiddies
Children’s Excessive TV Viewing, Harmful- Experts
Excessive watching of television by children may lead to a higher risk of metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions that occur together increasing heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes at age 45.
Metabolic syndrome which is also known as insulin resistance syndrome, syndrome X or dysmetabolic syndrome is a condition likely to affect children who plant themselves in front of televisions in their adult years.
According to a new long – term study published recently in Health Day by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the issue about the study is that, even if these sedentary children decided in their 20s that they want to be active,they are still likely to experience metabolic risk at age 45.
Dr. Colleen Kraft, a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and professor at University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine who was not part of the study, said the conclusion is that children who were sedentary are at risk of health problems later in life. Symptoms they would experience include high blood sugar, obesity, abnormal cholesterol levels and high blood pressure.
Kraft also said, frequent television watching during ages five through fifteen was the most significant contributor to metabolic syndrome, noting that, findings of the study were independent of adult television watching habits.
He also aligned himself with the position of other who argued that,it is also important to consider the evolution in technology since the study began.
” The alarming thing about this is that what do we see happening now versus 45 years ago? Children on phones,on tablets, on computers,on screens for a lot of the day who are really not active. So we are looking at an avalanche of health problems going forward if we do not focus on children and give them opportunities to be active.
” The most important thing about keeping children active for parents is that you have to find places where they can play and you often have to be active with them,”Kraft advised parents what to do independent of the children’s devices.
“So it means taking them to a park. It means dancing with them. It means being outside and riding bikes with them or taking walks with them. Children are going to model what parents do. So if a parents is active, that child will be active. And really limit the screen time “,Kraft said.
Adding his voice to the debate, a child psychiatrist at Northwell Health in New York, Dr Scott Krakower,who was also not part of the study, said the recent COVID – 19 pandemic only compounded sedentary lifestyles.
Krakower also said that, “During COVID,obviously people were in lockdown, they were not able to do things, but there was also a digital transformation where things we could never do before we were doing on screen “.
Dr. Krakower raised concerns that people are not getting out of their houses enough away from screens and gadgets on social media but more on their own at home.
” I’m seeing more children on some of these social media platforms. They can’t get off the screen and its really impacting their overall self- esteem, especially with the gaming and social media devices “,Krakower lamented.
” In some ways, it keeps them social, it keeps them connected. You don’t want to limit your child completely from this because it is so important for their own emotional growth and maturation”,he said. “But on the other hand,what I would say is that it can have a lot of negative impacts on their self – esteem and their growth. Because they are sitting at home,they are not getting out there”, However, the long – term study with researchers led by Dr. Robert Hancox,of the University of Otago’s Dunedin School of Medicine looked at more than 1,000 participants born in 1972 or 1973 in New Zealand.
Their weekday television viewing times were recorded at ages 5,7,9,11,13,15 and 32.
The study stated that more childhood television viewing was associated with lower cardiorespiratory fitness and higher Body Mass Index (BMI) at age 45 and higher odds for metabolic syndrome.
The researchers said the study can not prove that too much screen time causes metabolic syndrome but link is plausible, noting that, hours of screen time take time away from physical activity which is tied to better health. At the same time, couch – potato children are likely to be consuming sugary drinks and high – fat snacks.
In another development, earlier this year apart from excessive screen time not just bad for children’s long term physical health, the United States Surgeon General issued an advisory warning that social media, a preferred activity of young people can negatively impact their mental health and brain development.
By: Ibinabo Ogolo