The Tempter in the Child's Bedroom - Television

Written By: Albert Mohler  |  Posted: Tuesday, August 17th, 2010

For good and obvious reasons, Americans have spent a great deal of energy and research in identifying and removing contaminants and dangers from the lives of children. Lead was once a common ingredient in paint for homes, but the danger lead posed to children became known and a crusade to remove lead spread across the country. Beyond lead in paints, crusaders looked for any toxin or danger that might be found in the pajamas, furniture, and toys that might be in a child's room. But it seems that many have missed a most obvious danger - the presence of a television in a child's room.

The New York Times published a most interesting report on this issue just this week, claiming that the mere presence of a television set in a child's bedroom is a direct threat to the child's health. As the article documented:
"Children with bedroom TVs score lower on school tests and are more likely to have sleep problems. Having a television in the bedroom is strongly associated with being overweight and a higher risk for smoking." The numbers of children with a television in the bedroom are staggering. According to one study, 70% of third-graders had a television set in the room - we are talking about eight-year-olds.

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