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I saw a t.v. interview on this. It was opined that the faster cutting in violent/action shows prevents the brains in infants from properly developing.
Studies lay out violent TV's risk to tots
Later problems found in young viewers
By PAUL NYHAN
P-I REPORTER
The epic battles between Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd have defined good vs. evil for many children, but those sagas may not be suitable for preschoolers and toddlers and could even be damaging, two new studies have found.
Researchers in reports published Monday linked cartoon violence, "Power Rangers," NFL games and other violent television programming to anti-social behavior and attention problems in children.
For example, toddlers and babies who watched an hour a day of violent TV, on average, would double their risk of developing attention problems five years later, a report from Seattle Children's Hospital Research Institute said.
A separate study by the institute linked watching violent programming in preschool years to bullying, cheating, fighting and other aggressive behavior among boys in early grade-school years.Together, the research is a warning about the importance of selecting what young children watch on television, even cartoons.
"You are actually teaching them that violence is funny," said Dr. Dimitri Christakis, a co-author of both reports, which were released by Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center and the University of Washington.
The reports also offered good news. Educational programming -- "Barney," "Sesame Street," "Arthur," "Blue's Clues," "Winnie the Pooh" and "Doug" -- were not associated with either aggression or attention problems.
The findings are the latest in a stream of recent data that has begun sketching out television's effect on young children. Earlier this year, UW researchers found 40 percent of 3-month-olds and 90 percent of 2-year-olds regularly watched television.
Monday's research went a step further, telling parents content is critical, a message that may reassure families worried about the growing amount of research focusing on TV's negative effect.
"We just need to be cognizant of how powerful it is, not necessarily that it is so terrible for children," said Lisa Guernsey, author of "Into the Minds of Babes: How Screen Time Affects Children from Birth to Age Five."
"For children under age 5, I would say we are in the middle of a burst of new research."
Erin Miller's 6-year-old son, Jackson, has watched NFL games and "America's Funniest Home Videos," which qualify as violent content in the study, as well as "Sesame Street" and "Arthur." But, she says, it's parents' jobs to know what their child can and cannot handle.
NFL games, for example, don't bother Jackson, but the Disney film "Finding Nemo" is just too emotional for him.
"I think as a parent you have to go with your gut instinct," said, Miller, 36, who lives in Seattle's Montlake neighborhood. "I think it's like everything in our society, it's about moderation and parental responsibility."
The new research is limited. The two papers didn't establish that exposure to violent TV shows actually caused attention and aggression problems. Instead, researchers drew data from a broader 40-year study of 8,000 families, then analyzed survey responses from parents of 184 boys and 146 girls.
"But it was an extremely well-controlled observational study, and given that our results are consistent with what has been shown in older children and adults, it is as close to (being) proof of cause as we have," Christakis wrote in an e-mail.
Christakis has begun research that could establish a direct link, though he won't have results for at least two years.
In his paper published Monday, Christakis found a significantly increased risk among boys ages 2 to 4 who watched violent programs for bullying, fighting, destructive behavior and other anti-social behavior when they turned 7, 8 or 9.
Girls, however, did not show a similar connection.
The related report on attention problems, which dealt with children younger than 3, found violent television increased the likelihood that boys and girls would develop attention problems, though not necessarily Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, five years down the road.
Both reports appear in Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, which suggests no television for children under the age of 2.
Dennis Wharton of the National Association of Broadcasters, a trade association for stations and networks, including those with entertainment and educational children's TV shows, told The Associated Press he had not had a chance to thoroughly review the research and declined to comment on specifics.
Wharton said his group believes "there are many superb television programs for children and would acknowledge that it is important for parents to supervise the media consumption habits of young children."
Researchers offered several theories about why violent television could lead to problems later in childhood.
Perhaps the faster pacing of violent shows creates problems -- "Sesame Street" and other educational matter are clearly slower -- they wrote. Or, television programs could simply displace activities, such playing with blocks or puzzles, that encourage healthy child development.
Researchers also stressed they weren't singling out "Power Rangers" or other programs as particularly damaging.
"There is nothing unique about the 'Power Rangers.' It is more that was an example of a violent" show, Christakis said.
Later problems found in young viewers
By PAUL NYHAN
P-I REPORTER
The epic battles between Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd have defined good vs. evil for many children, but those sagas may not be suitable for preschoolers and toddlers and could even be damaging, two new studies have found.
Researchers in reports published Monday linked cartoon violence, "Power Rangers," NFL games and other violent television programming to anti-social behavior and attention problems in children.
For example, toddlers and babies who watched an hour a day of violent TV, on average, would double their risk of developing attention problems five years later, a report from Seattle Children's Hospital Research Institute said.
A separate study by the institute linked watching violent programming in preschool years to bullying, cheating, fighting and other aggressive behavior among boys in early grade-school years.Together, the research is a warning about the importance of selecting what young children watch on television, even cartoons.
"You are actually teaching them that violence is funny," said Dr. Dimitri Christakis, a co-author of both reports, which were released by Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center and the University of Washington.
The reports also offered good news. Educational programming -- "Barney," "Sesame Street," "Arthur," "Blue's Clues," "Winnie the Pooh" and "Doug" -- were not associated with either aggression or attention problems.
The findings are the latest in a stream of recent data that has begun sketching out television's effect on young children. Earlier this year, UW researchers found 40 percent of 3-month-olds and 90 percent of 2-year-olds regularly watched television.
Monday's research went a step further, telling parents content is critical, a message that may reassure families worried about the growing amount of research focusing on TV's negative effect.
"We just need to be cognizant of how powerful it is, not necessarily that it is so terrible for children," said Lisa Guernsey, author of "Into the Minds of Babes: How Screen Time Affects Children from Birth to Age Five."
"For children under age 5, I would say we are in the middle of a burst of new research."
Erin Miller's 6-year-old son, Jackson, has watched NFL games and "America's Funniest Home Videos," which qualify as violent content in the study, as well as "Sesame Street" and "Arthur." But, she says, it's parents' jobs to know what their child can and cannot handle.
NFL games, for example, don't bother Jackson, but the Disney film "Finding Nemo" is just too emotional for him.
"I think as a parent you have to go with your gut instinct," said, Miller, 36, who lives in Seattle's Montlake neighborhood. "I think it's like everything in our society, it's about moderation and parental responsibility."
The new research is limited. The two papers didn't establish that exposure to violent TV shows actually caused attention and aggression problems. Instead, researchers drew data from a broader 40-year study of 8,000 families, then analyzed survey responses from parents of 184 boys and 146 girls.
"But it was an extremely well-controlled observational study, and given that our results are consistent with what has been shown in older children and adults, it is as close to (being) proof of cause as we have," Christakis wrote in an e-mail.
Christakis has begun research that could establish a direct link, though he won't have results for at least two years.
In his paper published Monday, Christakis found a significantly increased risk among boys ages 2 to 4 who watched violent programs for bullying, fighting, destructive behavior and other anti-social behavior when they turned 7, 8 or 9.
Girls, however, did not show a similar connection.
The related report on attention problems, which dealt with children younger than 3, found violent television increased the likelihood that boys and girls would develop attention problems, though not necessarily Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, five years down the road.
Both reports appear in Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, which suggests no television for children under the age of 2.
Dennis Wharton of the National Association of Broadcasters, a trade association for stations and networks, including those with entertainment and educational children's TV shows, told The Associated Press he had not had a chance to thoroughly review the research and declined to comment on specifics.
Wharton said his group believes "there are many superb television programs for children and would acknowledge that it is important for parents to supervise the media consumption habits of young children."
Researchers offered several theories about why violent television could lead to problems later in childhood.
Perhaps the faster pacing of violent shows creates problems -- "Sesame Street" and other educational matter are clearly slower -- they wrote. Or, television programs could simply displace activities, such playing with blocks or puzzles, that encourage healthy child development.
Researchers also stressed they weren't singling out "Power Rangers" or other programs as particularly damaging.
"There is nothing unique about the 'Power Rangers.' It is more that was an example of a violent" show, Christakis said.
They can go f**k themselves!!! 
Now I know why. 
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