Newspapers are reporting on a new study, released this morning:   Kids are watching more TV, and upper-income kids are playing more video games on cell phones.  (Read it here.)

No surprise, right?  But it’s not good, and not inevitable!

Here’s the comment I posted about this NY Times article.  (Or see the posting HERE.)

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As a pediatrician, I’m especially alarmed by 2 statistics in this article:

1.  Kids under 2 spend twice as much time being read to as they do watching TV.
2.  6 of 7 parents said that their doctor had never discussed “media”.

Where’s the anticipatory guidance from the pediatrician?

Pediatricians and other health professionals should be discussing regularly both reading and TV with patients.  We have overwhelming evidence that school performance, weight issues, attention problems, and interpersonal skills are all affected.  The issue is at least as important as issues like sugar intake and exercise, which doctors are expected to discuss routinely.

There are loads of well-funded programs (ReadAloud.org, ReachOutAndRead.org, etc.) which can assist doctors in encouraging their patients to choose books over TV (or cell phone apps).  There are many recommendations over 15 years, from respected medical organizations such as the AAP, encouraging doctors to discuss TV and media use by children.

But many doctors are slow to incorporate these resources and recommendations.  They may discuss reading and TV only as an afterthought, if at all.  They may even have TV or DVD’s playing continuously in their waiting room!

Why is this?  Are doctors dubious about the data? Are we worried about a backlash or resistance from their patients?  Or perhaps, are we reluctant to examine their own personal viewing habits?

In my practice, at every checkup starting from birth, I ask parents how much TV the kids are exposed to.  I also encourage reading, and I suggest specific books just to get started.  I also pay attention to our role modeling:  there is no TV in our office, but we have many children’s books available.  In my practice, parents accept these suggestions with gratitude, and they generally follow the advice – often changing their own TV viewing habits in the process.

Doctors should counsel parents, early and often, to avoid TV, and encourage reading.

–  David Epstein, MD