Scientists have today warned parents that children who watch too much television could suffer later in life in terms of their health and education.

The researchers from the universities of Michigan and Montreal - who studied more than 1,300 children – found television exposure at two years old had negative effects ranging from unhealthy eating habits to poor educational attainment.

Writing in the Archives of Paediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, the researchers found watching too much TV as a toddler increased a child's body mass index (BMI) later in life by as much as five per cent.

"We found every additional hour of TV exposure among toddlers corresponded to a future decrease in classroom engagement and success at maths, increased victimisation by classmates, have a more sedentary lifestyle, higher consumption of junk food and, ultimately, higher body mass index," said lead author Dr Linda S Pagani.

"Between the ages of two and four, even incremental exposure to television delayed development," she added.

A total of 1,314 children took part in the investigation, which was part of the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development Main Exposure. Parents were asked to report how much TV their children watched at 29 months and at 53 months in age, while teachers were asked to evaluate academic, psychosocial and health habits, while BMI was measured at ten-years-old.

The investigation found watching too much TV as toddlers later preceded a seven per cent decrease in classroom engagement; a six per cent decrease in maths achievement, a ten per cent increase in victimisation by classmates and a 13 per cent decrease in weekend physical activity.

"Our findings make a compelling public health argument against excessive TV viewing in early childhood and for parents to heed guidelines on TV exposure from the American Academy of Pediatrics," Dr Pagani concluded.
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