Children to have TV rationed?

4:40pm Tuesday 24th April 2007

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EXPERTS have called for rationing on the time children spend watching television.

Psychologist Aric Sigman has told MPs that children under three should not watch any TV, while children under 12 should watch no more than one hour a day.

The calls come following a letter to the Daily Telegraph, published in September last year, where over a hundred academics and other experts called for the emotional and social needs of children to be protected.

More recently a report published by Dr Sigman earlier this year says watching TV suppresses the production of the hormone melatonin, which has important functions in the immune system, sleep cycle and the onset of puberty.

His research also showed that TV viewing has been strongly linked to permanent eyesight damage, is associated with irregular sleeping patterns among infants and may be a bigger factor in causing obesity than diet or exercise.

Dr Sigman gave his speech at a conference organised by Mediawatch-UK on Monday.

Mediawatch-UK actively campaigns for accountability and public participation in broadcast, and director John Beyer spoke about protecting children from the level of violence shown on TV.

There were also talks about the dangers of the Internet.

Speaking to the County Gazette Mr Beyer said: "I discussed the regulation of the media and how I believe it is failing and Dr Sigman talked about the harm it was causing.

"I am not saying that all children watch TV 24-hours a day, but there needs to be more of a balanced approach. This is not to say all TV is bad, there should be a balance whether it be watching television, computer screens, or surfing the Internet.

"There should be a balance between getting involved with team activities, to broaden their minds."

In his speech Mr Beyer said: "Our concern here is not about programmes made for children, which on the whole are exemplary.

"Our very real concern has to be about programmes not produced for children, such as the soaps and reality shows that many children and young people watch avidly. The fact is that many children now watch TV in their bedrooms, either alone or with others, not supervised by parents or guardians well into the evening or surf the web or play their games of violence on their computers. This drives a wedge between children and their parents as viewing the wrong material is something they tend to keep secret."

He said that he believed there would be several benefits to children watching less television.

To find out what people in our area think about it, pick up next Thursday's Somerset County Gazette.