Reasons why you should kick the TV out of your room

Fri Mar 14, 2008 11:40PM EDT

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Raise your hand if you have a television in the bedroom? How about the kids' bedroom? It's not hard to put a television in every room, especially if you keep upgrading to sleeker, flatter, sharper television sets. I don't have kids, yet I have three televisions in the house, and yes, I have the obligatory flat-panel display in the bedroom because I'm a news junkie who likes to watch CNN in the morning.

It seems to me that lately, researchers are focusing on the effects of having a television set in the bedroom. In a nutshell, having a TV in your sleep sanctuary is bad, very bad, but we already knew that. I guess what we may not have known is how bad it really is, especially when it's in the kid's room. So to bring you up to speed, I've gathered the latest findings hoping to shed some light on this bad habit.

New York Times and IO9 have good articles on the subject so I'll start there. Here's what they say in a nutshell:

TV makes you dumb: In a 2005 study of six Northern California schools, 70 percent of students who had their own TV scored "significantly and consistently" lower on math, reading, and language-arts tests. Those who had computers scored higher. It's believed the TV is a distraction during homework and may interfere with sleep. Seventh graders in Montreal also had the same problem. Those who spent more time in front of the TV, had lower grades. No surprise there.

TV makes you overweight: Several studies have suggested that kids with TVs in their bedroom are likely to be overweight. In a two-year study by the The Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, researchers found that kids snacked less when a device (I'm assuming BOB) was programmed to cut into the child's TV viewing time. Kids weren't inspired to exercise more, they just ate less calories a day. A French study found that boys with TVs in their bedroom were more likely to gain weight.

TV makes you a smoker: Yet, another study of 700 middle-school students between 12 and 14 years old, found that kids with TVs were twice as likely to start smoking. Of those surveyed, 42 percent who smoked had a TV in their bedroom.

TV messes up your sleeping patterns: Ok, so all the above figures have been for kids, but adults are also affected by bedroom TVs. Blog IO9, found a survey conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ American Time Use Survey (ATUS) shows that late night TV watching can control a person's sleeping patterns. Once upon a time, the day and night cycle determined our sleeping patterns, but with modern technology, mainly that television in the room, people's sleeping patterns are getting worse. Those most vulnerable to TV-timed sleep changes are people who work in services sectors like education, health, leisure, and hospitality, and people who live in the Eastern time zone.

There you have it. A few more reasons to kick that bedroom TV out.

Related:

Sleeping Alone? Your Gadgets May Be at Fault
Is Your Geeky Lifestyle Affecting Your Health?
Are Your Teens Getting Junk Sleep?
Teens spending 30, 40, even 50 each week in front of screens

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Comments on Reasons why you should kick the TV out of your room

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  • 6 Posted by seattleway1@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:11PM EDT Report Abuse

    The TV and smoking thing is b.s. Of those that have smoked, 42% have a TV in the room means that 58% that have smoked, don't! Doesn't that mean that the TV helped??????????

  • 7 Posted by zombie405@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 11:01PM EDT Report Abuse

    What's wrong with people? This article is really... misleading. They can't blame TV for people being overweight, really people need to take responsibility for themselves and stop blaming others/objects, TV causes smoking... I will just leave that alone because it is the stupidest thing I have ever read, the other two "findings" aren't new. Yes if something is in your room you more then likely wont sleep, so get your significant other out of the room people and as for TV making you dumb, I can't say this one is true or false because well... I really don't know the answer.

  • 8 Posted by spencer2265@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:35PM EDT Report Abuse

    TV makes you a smoker? how are we to see those well thought out anti-smoking ads? Hey, kids, this is Bob The Builder here to remind you to smoke twice a day! Smooooke, tastes like happy!

  • 9 Posted by cdelahunty@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:20PM EDT Report Abuse

    This whole study is bum-kis. Kids score lower because even if the television is on they are listening and only half trying, I guess you could say music is making our kids dumber as well. The whole lack of exercise is due to parents who don't want to interact with their kids and let them just sit in front of the boob tube so they won't bother them. SMOKING!?, SMOKING?, are u kidding me. Smoking is a choice. I grew up watching TV in my room and I don't smoke, or drink. Maybe it's the crowds the children are hanging out with, or maybe that 40% was just smokers who have a TV in their rooms. Irregular sleepin patterns can be solved by having the children's parents turning off the TV. If a person be it child or adult is tired they will go to bed regardless of what is on. So consequently, this whole study equals up to about thoughts and they are WRONG, and GARBAGE!

  • 10 Posted by teamrocfan@sbcglobal.net on Mon Mar 17, 2008 2:56PM EDT Report Abuse

    Ok, the reason I clicked on this article in the first place was because of the smoking thing. I totally disagree. People who smoke are normally the people with personality disorders, low self-esteem, stress issues, or women who think that smoking will make them skinny. I watched so much TV back when I was younger and now, and I am NOT dumb, I haven't smoked a single puff in my entire life! This is ridiculous. I hate you...

  • 11 Posted by allbritecarpet@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:51PM EDT Report Abuse

    My children have always had t.v.'s, computers/video games in there rooms,It's up to parents to know what is on in there children's rooms. My children make A's and are not overweight,maybe spending time in your child's room with them would help.

  • 12 Posted by jmmynrrs on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:37PM EDT Report Abuse

    that got to be the biggest krock of bull i ever heard of. what do kind of people do sit around and think up what harms you, the way u ppl worry about everthing,chit put every one in a padded room, dont feed em no water why they mite get a bug.realy what you sick head think of mite be causeing other cancer

  • 13 Posted by jmanf0924@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:37PM EDT Report Abuse

    This is so wrong. I'm sixteen years old. I have a tv in my room. I don't smoke, I made the honor roll last semester, and I'm not overweight because I just passed a physical a few months ago. UGH!

  • 14 Posted by kelglen2@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:49PM EDT Report Abuse

    Hmm, my daughter has a TV in her room, she is an 'A' student as well as on the honor roll two years running. She doesn't smoke either. The study is flawed.

  • 15 Posted by abeandrosie@ameritech.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:44PM EDT Report Abuse

    Wow what a dumb article, you could apply this to like 100 things. For instance couldn't you say the same thing about cars? How you ask here's how, -Make kids Dumb - newer cars are coming with DVD players and navigation systems, this makes you focus less. -Overweight - Instead of walking people drive, making them overweight. -Smoking - This argument is a joke and is the stupidest point made in this article, how could this be possibly proved? I won't dignify this one with a counter. A lot of things influence our kids idea's on smoking, I would say TV's in our kids room should be about the least. If anything TV goes out of the way to YELL to kids how BAD smoking is. -Sleeping patterns - If you walked you'd sleep better because you'd be a lot more tired, and also traffic jams can cut into your sleep time(although I'd swear there's a large group of people catching Z's behind the wheel)

  • 16 Posted by abeandrosie@ameritech.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:44PM EDT Report Abuse

    Wow what a dumb article, you could apply this to like 100 things. For instance couldn't you say the same thing about cars? How you ask here's how, -Make kids Dumb - newer cars are coming with DVD players and navigation systems, this makes you focus less. -Overweight - Instead of walking people drive, making them overweight. -Smoking - This argument is a joke and is the stupidest point made in this article, how could this be possibly proved? I won't dignify this one with a counter. A lot of things influence our kids idea's on smoking, I would say TV's in our kids room should be about the least. If anything TV goes out of the way to YELL to kids how BAD smoking is. -Sleeping patterns - If you walked you'd sleep better because you'd be a lot more tired, and also traffic jams can cut into your sleep time(although I'd swear there's a large group of people catching Z's behind the wheel)

  • 17 Posted by mhirselj@sbcglobal.net on Mon Mar 17, 2008 3:07PM EDT Report Abuse

    I'm guessing that most of the terrible spellers on this list all have TVs in their bedrooms! It isn't the low income people that have the TVs in the bed-rooms it is the dual income working parents who need to buy their kids love. They need to give them everthing their little hearts ask for, because they dump them off at day care, or afterschool programs 5 days a week! There is absolutly no need for a TV in a kids room. Hang out with your kids as much as you can while you still can!

  • 19 Posted by kbartesch@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:48PM EDT Report Abuse

    Parents are and should be accountable for monitoring TV, Video Games and Computers. All the money these ignorant parents spend on Video Games, could be spent on Hockey lessons, soccer, tennis football-you get the picture. We are products of our environments and placing a TV in the Bedroom or allowing our children to watch more than 1-2 hours a day is irresponsible and not surprising for the number of children who are failing in school and health. I'm a Mom of two children and I can tell you I'm in better physical shape than alot of teenage girls and boys. It's a shame when you go to the beach and you see overweight children everywhere and sporting an extra tire. Thanks for the parents going through the drive-thru and buying soda. Now that's what I call irresponsible and ignorant. Take a look in the mirror. Parents have so many more conveniences than my parents had, but they make life in the long-run much more difficult for their children because they don't know how to say know to their kids and then they wonder why their kids are the way they are. Shame on them.

  • 20 Posted by saulcalvillo@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:06PM EDT Report Abuse

    It's like everything scientistdo a study about, the always come up withsmething bad. I be you athee are millions of people out there sarter than those scientist that watch Tv al day long. I think Bush watched to much tv as a little kid. for you scientits stop wasting your time on this silly studies and go find a cure for AIDS. did you know that that is a bigger problem?

  • 21 Posted by jmmynrrs on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:37PM EDT Report Abuse

    OOOOOGH GUESS NEXT COMPUTERS CAUSE A women to get toe fungus LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL

  • 22 Posted by jmmynrrs on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:37PM EDT Report Abuse

    LOL LOL LOL LOL!!!!! why dont these space cadets look at whats in the food we eat. and see if these addative cause poeple to be over wight.heck these diet programs do not want you to lose weight they lose money HA HA HA.any one think that just mabe the diet pill cause's ppl to gane weight.....everthing we eat and drick has some kind of additive in it.look at chicken from egg to the market in one mth.hummm, what does the harmones they give to chicken do to a pregent women and the babe.only in america

  • 23 Posted by ddscds@swbell.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:39PM EDT Report Abuse

    Do not blame a machine for a parents lack of control or interest in their child. What mommy and daddy allow has more to do with the childs ability, knowledge and physical health than the television or the computer. Discipline in amount, content, bed times and play times are on the parent to set and inforce.

  • 24 Posted by iankz@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:22PM EDT Report Abuse

    #1 and #3 - Nice grammar. Does anyone need proof that TV makes you stupid? Look at their posts.

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