Watching too much telly when you're young could lead you to take up smoking and gambling as an adult, a new study reveals. Researchers say that more than two hours TV a day viewing between the ages of five and 15 is a sign of addictive behaviour that can also lead to booze and cannabis problems later.
Study author Dr Helena McAnally from the University of Otago in New Zealand says that the study indicates that excessive leisure time television viewing may be a risk factor for the development of later disorders. She said: “People often talk of television viewing as an addiction; this research indicates that, for some people, television viewing may be an early expression of an addictive disorder or may lead to later substance-related and other addictive disorders."
The research, published in International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, concluded that like safe sex and safe drinking campaigns, more should be done to promote safe TV viewing. The researchers used unique, follow-up data from the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, known as the Dunedin Study.
