The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than 2 hours of TV watching per day combined with at least 60 minutes of physical activity a day.
Almost 15 per cent of Australian children aged three to four have television in their bedrooms and, by the age of seven to eight, the proportion has risen to one in five, a new study shows, raising concerns about the lack of parental regulation of children's viewing.
The study, to be presented to the Growing Up in Australia conference today, shows that concerns about the digital divide may be overblown.
All but 9 per cent of families with three- to four-year-olds have a computer in the house, and the overwhelming majority of them have a broadband internet connection.
Michael Bittman, professor of sociology at the University of New England, and the lead author, said the study showed most parents had rules on how much time children spent watching television. But it was hard to know how parents could enforce the rules, or exercise control over what children watched when the television was in the bedroom.
''The American Paediatric Association said it is important to severely limit the amount of television young children are exposed to because it influences the neural pathways being laid down in the early years,'' he said. The research, with Leonie Rutherford and Len Unsworth, is part of the Longitudinal Study of Australian children following the progress of 10,000 children from 2003/4. It shows that three- to four-year-olds watch an average of 70 minutes a day of television, rising to almost two hours by the age of eight to 11.
But by the age of 15, the computer takes over as the dominant media form due to its dual role in education and entertainment. The group aged 15 to 17 spent spent two hours 20 minutes a day online, and then almost another two hours watching television.
Professor Bittman said most poor families had computers, possibly because purchase costs had fallen and families also realised how important they were to contemporary life.
Families who did miss out were in the lowest fifth of income earners and had mothers with low levels of education.
All but 15 per cent of parents of three- to four-year-olds said they had rules about TV viewing, and having rules did appear to influence the amount children watched. Children whose mothers were highly educated watched the least television.
The research also showed that 23 per cent of homes with a three- to four-year-old had an electronic game system, rising to 81 per cent by the time children were aged between eight and 11 years.
