- One in three children under the age of six watches television
for between two and six hours a day, according to an NOP survey published
today.
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- In a separate report, researchers found that a third
of children under three have a television set in their bedroom.
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- The two studies of children's viewing habits will reopen
the debate about the potentially harmful effects that television has on
the mental and emotional development of young people.
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- A quarter of the children in the NOP poll watched television
for between one and two hours a day while a third watched for less than
an hour.
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- Only seven per cent of youngsters watched no television
at all, according to the survey, conducted for the Early Learning Centre
and based on interviews with 750 parents across Britain. Those children
read, played video games or used their toys. The research comes only days
after David Bell, the Chief Inspector of Schools, criticised parents for
sitting their children in front of the television rather than talking to
or playing with them.
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- He said the growing tendency of parents to treat the
television as a babysitter was damaging children's verbal and behavioural
skills.
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- "We should encourage parents to talk to their children
and give them a whole range of stimulating things to do and not just assume
that the television, or whatever, will do all that for them," he said.
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- Two thirds of the parents questioned said they would
like to spend more "quality time" with their children, with the
figure rising to 81 per cent for working mothers and fathers.
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- Seven in 10 also admitted that their children watched
more television than they did at their age. But in a sign that parents
were changing their behaviour, all said they encouraged their children
to play, either alone or with friends.
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- Dr Brian Young, a child psychologist at Exeter University,
said it was clear that parents still relied on the television to entertain
their children.
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- However, he said that children could benefit emotionally
and mentally if they watched programmes with their parents. "It can
be positive, constructive and enjoyable as long as parents explain the
meaning of what they are watching," he added.
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- The findings follow a report by television industry regulators
that indicated that most programmes watched by children are intended for
adults.
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- Among four- to 15-year-olds, one in five is still watching
after the 9pm watershed, according to the study by the Broadcasting Standards
Commission and Independent Television Commission.
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- © Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited 2003.
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