Federal Report Roundup

Television Time

By Andrew Trotter — May 11, 2007 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Ninety percent of U.S. 2-year-olds are regular television watchers, and 40 percent of infants experience some daily screen time, according to a study published in the May edition of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

The average viewing time per day rose from 1 hour per day for children younger than 12 months to more than 1.5 hours per day by 24 months, report researchers from the University of Washington and the Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle.

Parents cited education, entertainment, and babysitting as reasons why they let their very young children watch TV, DVDs, and videos. Parents said they watched with their children more than half the time.

A different study in the same journal concluded that frequent television viewing during adolescence may be associated with a risk for developing attention problems and learning difficulties. Researchers from Columbia University and New York University found that adolescents who watched one or more hours of television a day at age 14 were at elevated risk for poor homework completion, negative attitudes toward school, poor grades, and long-term academic failure.

“Television and DVD/Video Viewing in Children Younger Than 2 Years” and “Extensive Television Viewing and the Development of Attention and Learning Difficulties During Adolescence” can be purchased from the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the May 16, 2007 edition of Education Week

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Assessment Webinar
Reflections on Evidence-Based Grading Practices: What We Learned for Next Year
Get real insights on evidence-based grading from K-12 leaders.
Content provided by Otus
School & District Management Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: We Can’t Engage Students If They Aren’t Here: Strategies to Address the Absenteeism Conundrum
Absenteeism rates are growing fast. Join Peter DeWitt and experts to learn how to re-engage students & families.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
Empowering K-12 Education with AI: From Instruction to Personalized Learning
AI isn't the future, it's NOW! Learn how AI can be effectively used to personalize student learning in K-12.
Content provided by Pearson

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Federal Trump Admin. Funding Cuts Could Hit Efforts to Restore School Libraries
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is one of seven small federal agencies targeted for closure in a recent executive order.
Books sit on shelves in an elementary school library in suburban Atlanta on Aug. 18, 2023.
Books sit on shelves in an elementary school library in suburban Atlanta on Aug. 18, 2023. The Trump administration's efforts to eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the largest source of federal support for libraries, is throwing a number of library programs—including efforts to grow the ranks of school librarians—into a state of uncertainty.
Hakim Wright Sr./AP
Federal Trump Admin. Tells Schools: No Federal Funds If You're Using DEI
A letter sent out Thursday is another Trump administration to curb diversity, equity, and inclusion in schools—and use funding as leverage.
6 min read
Vector illustration of a large hand holding a contract and a smaller man with a large pen signing the contract while a woman in the background is clutching a gold coin and watching as he signs.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Federal Opinion The U.S. Dept. of Ed. Has Been Cut in Half. We Have Thoughts
Absent clear explanation and deft management, the push to downsize the department invites confusion and risks political blowback.
7 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
Federal Linda McMahon Abruptly Tells States Their Time to Spend COVID Relief Has Passed
Secretary Linda McMahon said the Education Department would no longer honor the extensions it had granted states.
3 min read
Education Secretary Linda McMahon arrives before President Donald Trump attends a reception for Women's History Month in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, March 26, 2025, in Washington.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon arrives before President Donald Trump attends a reception for Women's History Month in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, March 26, 2025, in Washington. In a letter Friday, McMahon told state leaders on March 28 that their time to spend remaining COVID relief funds would end that same day.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP