Children who have a television in their room are more likely to have bad grades

Children who have a television in their room are more likely to have bad grades, develop addiction on screens or become obese, according to a new study.

We already know: having a television in your room is not recommended. And for good reason: it would have an impact on sleep or on the life of a couple . In children, the consequences would be even greater, according to a new study conducted by the State University of Iowa (USA) and published in the journal Developmental Psychology.

INCREASED RISK OF OBESITY AND DEPENDENCE

After watching children who had a television in their room, the researchers found that they spent less time reading and sleeping, which had an impact on their schooling. These children also played more violent video games, which had consequences for their behavior. But this is not all: researchers also claim that the presence of a television in a child's room increases the risk of obesity and dependence on video games.

How to explain this phenomenon ? "When children light up television in their rooms, they probably do not watch educational shows and do not play educational games," said Douglas Gentile, lead author of the study. This psychology professor adds that the first predictor of addiction is access. He therefore has a simple and effective advice to give to the parents: not to install a television in the room of their child. "It's much easier to never allow a TV in the room than to remove it," he concludes.