A family that isn't talking with one another is a family in trouble. Fourth, heavy television viewing is linked to lower school performance. A study by the Minneapolis-based National Institute on Media and the Family found children who have the TV on during family meals do more poorly at school. Another study found children who frequently watch TV while doing homework earn lower grades compared to those children who turn off the TV when doing homework. Fifth, television disturbs children's sleep.
Inadequate sleep is an important contributor to poor school performance.
Sixth, heavy television viewing can contribute to childhood obesity. According to the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, in which researchers questioned more than 4,000 children ages 8 through 16 about their TV viewing habits and physical activity, the more children viewed TV, the fatter they were. Less use of coarse language, more family interaction, less aggressive behavior, better school performance, more sleep and better physical health. Keep the TV off and the busybodies tuned out. Your children will do just fine.