Pediatricians Advised Less TV Watching

The 39,000 member American Academy of Pediatrics says too much TV watching by your children can turn them violent, aggressive or overweight&md;and possibly all three. In their first statement in six years on kids and TV, the pediatricians last month advised the nation's parents to reduce their children's video-viewing by at least half. Data from the A. C. Nielsen Co. reveal that children aged 2 to 5 currently watch about 25 hours of TV a week; those 6 to 11 watch more than 22 hours a week; and those in the 12 to 17 age-bracket watch 23 hours a week. The pediatricians maintain that by the time today's child reaches age 70, he or she will have spent approximately seven years in front of the tube.