For Healthier Teens, Keep the TV in the Den

Older adolescents who watch in their bedrooms pick up bad habits with the remote
By Kate Rockwood,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 7, 2008 12:55 PM CDT
For Healthier Teens, Keep the TV in the Den
Teens from highest-income families were far less likely to have television sets in their bedrooms.   (Index Stock)

Older teens feeling too fit, well nourished, and smart can turn all that around with one simple move: install a TV in the bedroom. Kids 15 to 18 with a boob tube in the boudoir were twice as likely to watch 5 or more hours a day than those who had to get their MTV in the family room, Reuters reports—no surprise there, but their diet and exercise habits were also suspect.

Nearly two-thirds of older teens studied had a bedroom TV. Although the presence of a TV didn't correlate with a greater incidence of obesity, girls got less vigorous exercise and boys had lower GPAs than their TV-free counterparts. "It really clearly points out that there's some merit to not allowing your child to have a TV in the bedroom," said a researcher. (More television watching stories.)

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