Children under the age of 3 allowed to watch more than two hours of TV a day have below-average reading abilities by age 6, a U.S. study finds. Children who averaged more than two hours of television a day as toddlers scored 10 percent lower in reading comprehension and short-term memory tests, according to a 10-year study published in the journal Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. University of Washington researchers analyzed the test results of 1,700 children under age 6 and found, on average, children under age 3 watched two hours and 12 minutes of television and children ages 3 to 5, watched an average of three hours 18 minutes on a daily basis, the Sunday Telegraph reported. Some television shows for children, which claim to be educational actually had no beneficial effect on toddlers, said study co-author Frederick Zimmerman, of the University of Washington. “We found that shows which target under threes, such as ‘Teletubbies,’ only entertain and don’t educate,” said Zimmerman. © Copyright 2005 by United Press International

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