TV in the Bedroom Means Lower Grades for Kids

Grade-schoolers with TV sets in their rooms score lower on tests than students without a TV.

Is there a television set in your child's bedroom? A new study suggests that you might want to remove it. The study, conducted by researchers at Johns Hopkins University and Stanford University, found that third-graders with TV sets in their rooms scored eight points lower in math and language arts tests and seven points lower in reading tests than those without a TV. Placing limits on TV watching time did not help - even kids who watched television in their rooms for only short periods experienced lower scores.

The same study found that having a computer anywhere in the house had the opposite effect - that is, children with access to computers scored several points higher on the tests. "The best combination was having no TV in the bedroom, and also a home computer to use," said study co-author Thomas N. Robinson, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics and medicine at Stanford.

The study was published in the July 4, 2005 issue of Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.