Increased TV consumption unhealthy for kids: study

Increased TV consumption unhealthy for kids: study

MUMBAI: As television networks dedicated to children gear up for the summer holidays with their programming best, studies indicate that with free time on their hands kids consume more television, video games, the internet and their in-activity results in a gain in weight.

A study released earlier this year found that kids actually gained more weight over the summer than they did during the school year, drawing into question the assumption that kids spend their summers playing outdoors.

"Media is a huge part of kids‘ lives today -- kids actually spend more than twice as much time with media each week than they do with their parents," said Common Sense Media CEO and founder James Steyer. "It stands to reason that, given more free time when they‘re out of school, kids are inclined to use more and more media."

Previous research has shown that the more time kids spend watching television, the more likely they are to be obese, informs an official release.

"Media is fun for kids, and it can be a great way for families to bond together. The challenge for parents is to make sure that media is a positive part of kids‘ lives. In addition to the risk of obesity, unsupervised media use can pose a number of other hazards to kids, particularly those old enough to go online," Steyer said

Thus, Common Sense Media has noted some guidelines for parents to ensure that their children are using media in healthy, positive ways during the summer months.