Do not adjust your set -- turn it off!

NewScientistTech has a disturbing piece about the results of a recent study, which show that watching television more than two hours a day early in life can lead to attention problems later in adolescence.

Symptoms of attention problems included short attention span, poor concentration, and being easily distracted. The findings could not be explained by early-life attention difficulties, socio-economic factors, or intelligence, says the team.

This is particularly disturbing in that the attention problems seem to be independent of whether a diagnosis for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder had previously been made.

One caveat, though, is that the children in the study were prone to attention problems, and they were drawn to watching television. Still, the results warn us that TV viewing is supplanting other activities that promote concentration, such as reading, games, sports and play.