Teen
Bedroom Extreme Makeover: Move that TV!
Author:
Kathie McGee
Home makeovers are all the rage these days.
Now there’s a simple, absolutely FREE way parents can make over a teen’s
bedroom and get a healthier teen in the process. This quick and easy makeover
method can lead your teen to:
·
Eat more fruits and
vegetables
·
Be more physically
active
·
Eat meals with the
family more often
·
Earn a higher GPA
Along with producing a healthier child, this
makeover could create some needed space in a usually cluttered teen bedroom and
help reduce your electric bill.
What is this fantastic new research-based,
doctor-approved teen bedroom makeover tip? Remove the TV from your teen’s
bedroom!
According to research published in the April
2008 issue of Pediatrics magazine, teen girls with a TV in their bedroom not
only watch more TV than their peers who don’t have bedroom TVs – five hours
more per week – but also spend less time being physically active, eat fewer
vegetables, drink more sweetened beverages and eat fewer meals with their
families.
The study found that teen boys with bedroom
TVs fared no better.
Compared to their “TV-deprived” peers, boys
with bedroom TVs watch four more hours of TV per week, eat less fruit, eat
fewer meals with their families and have lower GPAs.
Convinced to pull the plug yet?
The study also found that 16% of teens with
bedroom TVs watch more than five hours a day. Teens who watch this much TV
might be “heavy” viewers in more ways than one, because other studies have
shown a link between teens having bedroom TVs and being overweight.
All of this research is backed up by the
recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics to not put TVs in
children’s bedrooms.
For the parents of the 68% of 8- to
18-year-olds who already have a TV in their bedroom, here are some tips to help
you and your teen unplug:
Talk with your teen, not at him or her. Calmly
explain why it would be good idea to remove the TV. Discuss the research
mentioned earlier and explain that you want to take positive steps to help your
child be healthy.
Help your teen find healthy entertainment
alternatives. Be on the lookout for good media that can provide opportunities
for you and your teen to laugh, cry, think, question, learn and appreciate.
Enjoy them together as a family whenever possible. Encourage and model
participation in various activities – outdoor recreation, music lessons,
sports, reading, volunteering, drawing, painting and gardening.
Be a good role model. Do you have a TV in your
bedroom? Bedroom TVs can have a negative impact on adults, too. Parents are
certainly entitled to privileges their children might not have. But this may be
one you want to rethink. Whether you remove your TV or limit your bedroom
viewing, you could benefit from improved sleep, improved health and a better
relationship with your child.
Kudos to you parents who’ve refused to put a
TV in your child’s room. Hold your ground. You now have several more good
reasons to keep that TV out. And your child will be happier and healthier
without it.
D.J. Barr-Anderson, P. van den Berg, D.
Neumark-Sztainer, & M. Story (2008). Characteristics associated with older
adolescents who have a television in their bedrooms. Pediatrics,
121(4), 718-724.
A.M.
Adachi-Meja, M.R. Longacre, J.J. Gibson, M.L. Beach, L.T. Titus-Ernstoff, &
M.A. Dalton (2007). Children with a TV in their bedroom at higher risk for
being overweight. International Journal of Obesity (Lond)., 31(4),
644-651.
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