Parents
have for years rationed the amount of television their children can
watch in the belief that too much will scramble their offspring’s
brains.
Now
a study suggests the opposite is true – that children who are glued
to the screen for hours a day can significantly outperform classmates
who watch considerably less.
It
also found that other family rules imposed by parents hoping to boost
their children’s academic prowess, such as insisting on regular bed
or meal times, make only a relatively small difference.
While
TV has been consistently blamed for diminishing children’s brain
power, University of London academics found those who watched three
or more hours a day were three months ahead of those who watched less
than an hour a day.
The
report’s lead author Dr Alice Sullivan, senior academic at the
university’s Institute of Education, admitted the results,
particularly those regarding television, were ‘contrary to
expectations’.
She
added that the educational value of children’s television had been
‘underestimated’. ‘It may also help expose some children to a
broader vocabulary than they get at home,’ Dr Sullivan said.
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