Children easily upset by TV
Small children do not have to watch inappropriate programming to become uneasy, just having it on in the background is enough.
Unsurprisingly, children are happiest watching children's programming.

PHOTO: STEIN BJØRGE

 
Parents who want their youngsters to have a good night's sleep should leave watching the news, films and other potentially disturbing programming until after their children are in bed, says Anja Riita Lahikainen, professor of social psychology in Tammerfors, Finland.

Lahikainen has led a research group that has examined how parents monitor the television viewing habits of children, newspaper Svenska Dagbladet reports. Over 300 parents of children aged five and six at three university cities in Finland took part in the study.

"The most interesting finding is that passive TV viewing of adult programs plays such a major role. Adults should realize that children pay attention and are affected by the images and sound if their parents don't think they understand," Lahikainen said.

The television was on for an average of four hours in the home, with the children watching actively an average of 1.4 hours a day. Their passive viewing, for example with the TV on in the background while they played with something else, took about the same amount of time.

The research team found that children who watched adult programming, actively or passively, had trouble sleeping, while children who watched children's programming with their parents did not.

Lahikainen said that this was an important reminder to parents that they should regularly ask their children if they had something that preoccupied or frightened them.

Aftenposten's Norwegian reporter
Randi Johannessen
Aftenposten English Web Desk
Jonathan Tisdall

 
This is an article from www.aftenposten.no.
Updated: 02. juni 2006
It can be found at this address: http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article1339029.ece