Imbakassinn

Watching TV may damage children's brain development, leading to increased anti-social behaviour, new research claims.

There is also a correlation between the amount of TV children watch and the degree of educational damage they suffer, according to the report by Aric Sigman, an associate fellow of the British Psychological Society.

And significant long-term damage occurs even at so-called modest levels of viewing - between one and two hours a day - the report, Remotely Controlled, says.

Children now spend more time watching a TV screen than they spend in school, but viewing even a moderate amount can dramatically increase their risk of myopia, slow down their metabolic rate and may trigger premature puberty, according to Dr Sigman.

It was also found to lead to a "significantly elevated risk" of sleep problems in adulthood, causing hormone changes, which in turn directly increase appetite and body fat production and damage the immune system. leading to a greater vulnerability to cancer.

While the average Briton watches four hours of TV a day, children aged 11-15 spend seven-and-a-half hours a day watching TV and computers - an increase of 40 per cent in a decade - the scientist claims.

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The idiot box