CHILDHOOD
TV ADDICTS MORE LIKELY TO COMMIT CRIME: STUDY
2/19/2013 12:30:44 AM
AFP: Children
who watch excessive amounts of television are more likely to have criminal
convictions and show aggressive personality traits as adults, a New Zealand
study has found.
The
University of Otago study tracked the viewing habits of about 1,000 children
born in the early 1970s from when they were aged five to 15, then followed up
when the subjects were 26 years old to assess potential impacts.
The
research, published in the US journal "Pediatrics" this week, found a
strong correlation between childhood exposure to television and anti-social
behaviour in young adults.
"The
risk of having a criminal conviction by early adulthood increased by about 30
percent with every hour that children spent watching television on an average
weeknight," co-author Bob Hancox said.
The
study also found excessive TV viewing was linked to aggressive personality
traits and an increased tendency to experience negative emotions.
It
said the links remained statistically significant even when issues such as
intelligence, social status and parental control were factored in.
"While
we're not saying that television causes all anti-social behaviour, our findings
do suggest that reducing television viewing could go some way towards reducing
rates of anti-social behaviour in society," Hancox said.
He
said the findings supported the American Academy of Pediatrics' recommendation
that children should watch no more than one to two hours of quality television
programming a day.
The
study said it was possible that children learned anti-social behaviour by
watching it on TV, leading to emotional desensitisation and the development of
aggressive behaviour.
But
it said the content of what children were viewing was not the only factor,
highlighting the social isolation experienced by those who spent hours watching
the box.
"It
is plausible that excessive television viewing contributes to anti-social
behaviour in ways unrelated to violent content," it said.
"These
mechanisms could include reduced social interaction with peers and parents,
poorer educational achievement, and increased risk of unemployment."
Hancox
said the study concentrated on children's viewing habits in the late 1970s and
early 1980s, before the advent of personal computers, and further research was
warranted into how such technology affected subsequent behaviour.
"If
you're playing a computer game that not only exposes you to a lot of violence
but actually simulates shooting people then that may be even worse, but I don't
have any data on that," he told Radio New Zealand.
View the original publication here.
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