WATCHING too much TV poses 15 heath risks to children including obesity and premature puberty, a psychologist claimed yesterday.
Dr Aric Sigman said spending hours slumped into front of the small screen was 'the greatest unacknowledged health threat of our time'.
He wants official daily viewing limits, with youngsters under three not allowed to watch any TV at all, and parents to banish sets from bedrooms Dr Sigman's list of the potential hazards to youngsters includes an increased risk of obesity and heart disease from higher cholesterol, caused by the lack of exercise.
Over- stimulating the senses by watching television can also upset sleep patterns.
Meanwhile, the light from sets can suppress the key hormone melatonin, raising the risk of cell DNA mutations, which can cause cancer.
Premature puberty is also linked to low levels of melatonin.
Other risks include poor concentration, as brain cells governing attention span are impaired, and learning problems, as a result of poor intellectual stimulation.
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At a conference in Westminster, Dr Sigman told MPs that TV viewing should be rationed with a system of ' recommended daily allowances'.
Children aged three to seven should be limited to 30 minutes to one hour a day.
Seven to 12-year-olds could be allowed an hour daily.
This would be upped to 90 minutes for 12 to 15-year-olds and two hours for the over-16s.
Dr Sigman, an associate fellow of the British Psychological Society, reviewed 35 academic studies for a report on the health risks of TV viewing.
He urged ministers to do more to protect children from the adverse effects of too many hours in front of the box.
'Reducing television viewing must become the new priority,' he said. 'Most of the damage linked to television viewing seems to occur beyond watching one to one-and-a-half hours per day, irrespective of the quality of the programme.
'Yet the average child watches three to five times this amount.
'Our children are Europe's most obese. By adolescence, they spend an average of 7.5 hours a day in front of a TV.
'Many believe we shouldn't make parents feel guilty about the amount of time children spend in front of a screen.
'But we must make a clear judgment that child health is more important than parental guilt.' The report by Dr Sigman, the author of a book on the issue, points to a higher risk of autism, linked to a lack of social interaction, and Alzheimer's disease, which has been linked to heavy viewing.
Eye damage and a slower metabolism may result from staring at the screen while children can be more vulnerable to type 2 diabetes from eating high- calorie food while watching television. Altered hormone levels may also increase body fat while waves emitted by sets are linked to changes in skin cells.
One long-term study in New Zealand tracked children from birth and concluded childhood TV viewing was linked with poor educational achievement by the age of 26.
Youngsters also had shorter attention spans and a greater risk of developing Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
Meanwhile, girls are reaching puberty much earlier than in the 1950s.
This is partly because average weight has increased but possibly also because of lower melatonin levels linked to TV exposure.
l.clark@dailymail.co.uk
(c) 2007 Daily Mail; London (UK). Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.
Source: Daily Mail; London (UK)
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