What You Watch is Who You Become

Published: 12/20/2007

A well-designed study of preschool boys aged 2-5 found that those who watched violent televisions shows were more likely to display anti-social behavior such as bullying and cheating by the time they were ten. Other familial and social factors such as parental coping, parental education level, and maternal depression were ruled out as probable causes. The study did not look at girls.

What’s the take-home? Watching educational TV shows in preschool seemed to protect boys from this type of misbehavior, so choosing the TV shows your children watch when they are very young may save you a lot of parental stress later.

Pediatrics, November 2007 (120), 993-999.