Speaking at a conference at Westminster, Dr Aric Sigman argued that the Government must take action to cut children's television viewing, and said it was a major issue for public health. He suggested that parents should be given recommended daily amount guidelines, similar to that given for intake of salt.
Dr Sigman, an associate fellow of the British Psychological Society and a member of the Institute of Biology, voiced his concerns at a Children in Media conference at the House of Commons, organised by pressure group Mediawatch-UK.
Some studies have linked excessive TV watching to difficulty in sleeping, behavioural problems and increased obesity in children.
A long-term study published in the medical journal The Lancet in 2004 found that children who watched more than two hours of television a day between the ages of five and 15 saw their health suffer years later. The study found a link between childhood TV viewing and raised cholesterol levels, obesity and smoking in adulthood.
Dr Sigman also argued that children should not have TV sets in their bedrooms and that new mothers should be warned of the detrimental effects.
He rejected the idea that setting Government guidelines constituted creating a 'nanny state', telling the BBC, 'Parents need an ideal reference point, even if they choose to ignore it or cannot adhere to it.'
Dr Sigman recommends the following maximum restrictions on children's TV viewing: children under three: no screen exposure; ages three to seven: 30 minutes to one hour per day; ages seven to 12: one hour per day; ages 12 to 15: one-and-a-half hours a day; ages 16 and over: two hours.
