Want to improve your preschoolers' behavior? Be choosy when it comes to the TV shows they watch -- even if you don't reduce the amount of time they spend watching TV.
In one of the largest studies yet to examine how TV affects children's development, researchers report that six months after families reduced 3- to 5-year-olds' exposure to aggressive or violent shows and increased enriching and educational TV, kids demonstrated significantly improved behavior compared with those whose media diet was unchanged.
Improvements (less aggression, more empathy and helpfulness) persisted at 12 months, says the study of 565 families, in today's Pediatrics.
Overall, the amount of TV viewed did not change, but all kids' behavior improved, and low-income boys, who tend to watch more TV, benefited most, says study author Dimitri Christakis, director of the Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development at Seattle Children's Hospital.
A Pediatrics study today from New Zealand links more TV to higher risk of antisocial and criminal behavior.
In the USA, preschoolers watch nearly 4.5 hours of TV a day, "an alarming amount" that too often includes age-inappropriate shows, Christakis says. Kids "learn by imitating what they see," and for preschoolers, "a lot of what they see is on TV. However much TV your child watches, it's worth parents' efforts to be more selective."
To see more of USAToday.com, or to subscribe, go to http://www.usatoday.com
Copyright 2012 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.