the average child spends upwards of seven hours watching television, browsing the Internet and playing video games each day. While it’s tempting to turn to technology to help keep your children occupied, too much screen time may instill unhealthy habits that persist into adulthood. According to a review in Obesity in 2012, a lot of screen time may increase obesity risk.
Having a television in your child’s bedroom increases the impact of TV watching on weight status, independent of physical activity. This may be due to the decreased amount of sleep associated with late-night, unmonitored television watching. A lack of sleep causes an increase in ghrelin, the hormone that signals you’re hungry, and a decrease in leptin, the hormone that tells you you’re full. On average, a sleep-deprived person will consume 300 extra calories per day, usually from high-fat foods, and snack more frequently than someone who is well-rested.
“Teenagers who used devices such as mobile telephones and computers the most at bedtime were the most likely to be obese and to sleep the least. What’s more, teenagers who were ‘evening types’ were more likely to have unhealthy diets and to have a higher body weight. Also, the more overweight teenagers were, the poorer their academic achievement at school despite their aspirations.”
However, a study at the University of Washington of 8950 children under the age of 5 found that 66% exceeded that limit, spending an average of 4.1 h of daily screen time, 90% of which came at home
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