Background TV can impact kids' future

Washington, July 25 (IANS) Do you watch your favourite television show after assigning homework to your kids? This may have a bearing on theirn learning and their success in future.

Researchers have found that background television - when the TV is on in a room where a child is doing something other than watching - can divert a child's attention from play and learning.

"Sit down to watch a particular show and when it is done, turn it off," said Deborah Linebarger, associate professor in education at the University of Iowa in the US.

The study also found non-educational programmes can negatively affect children's cognitive development.

"Kids are going to learn from whatever you put in front of them," Linebarger added.

"So what kind of messages, what kind of things do you want them to learn? That would be the kinds of media you would purposefully expose them to," she noted.

The findings came from a survey of more than 1,150 families with children between two and eight years old.

The researchers looked at family demographics, parenting styles, media use, and how those factors could impact kids' future success.

The team found a relationship between the content children are exposed to and their executive function, an important facet in learning and development.

The study appeared online in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioural Pediatrics.