Teenagers who watch too much television may risk depression as adults, according to a new study. Each additional hour of daily television viewing by adolescents boosted their odds of becoming depressed as young adults by 8%, reports the Los Angeles Times. Watching videos, playing computer games and listening to the radio did not carry a similar risk.
The results don't prove television causes depression. "It could be argued that people with the predilection for later development of depression also happen to have a predilection for watching lots of TV," said the lead researcher. But scientists also speculate that watching TV might take time away from other activities and sleep, which may play a key role in staving off depression.
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