What Kids Watch On TV & Behavior

Being choosy about what your kids watch on TV might improve their behavior.

When it comes to kids and TV watching it's not just how much they watch, but also what they watch that has the biggest effect on their behavior. So, as parents our job is to be choosy and picky and control the remote when it comes to our children watching TV.

Past studies have shown that limiting TV time can go a long way towards making sure our kids get plenty of exercise, sleep and family time. But this new study, just published in the journal Pediatrics, is showing that even when they watch TV we need to make sure they are watching appropriate shows. Researchers found that after families of 3- to 5-year-olds reduced the amount of aggressive and violent shows they watched, the kids' behavior had a significant improvement. Instead of these types of shows, the children were allowed to watch more educational type programming. As one researcher put it, it's not just about turning off the TV, but about changing the channel to something more appropriate for their age group.

So, if your child is watching TV make sure you know what they are seeing. If it's a show with aggressive or violent content, then simply switch the channel to something that not only will help them learn a little more about the world around them, but can also help them improve their behavior as they grow up.