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Children Who Watch TV More Likely to Bully - Study
Reuters ^ | 4/4/05

Posted on 04/04/2005 3:21:27 PM PDT by Crackingham

The more television 4-year-old children watch the more likely they are to become bullies later on in school, a U.S. study said Monday. At the same time, children whose parents read to them, take them on outings and just generally pay attention to them are less likely to become bullies, said the report from the University of Washington.

Bullying can now be added "to the list of potential negative consequences of excessive television viewing along with obesity, inattention and other types of aggression," said Frederick Zimmerman who led the research.

"Our findings suggest some steps that can be taken with children to potentially help prevent bullying. Maximizing cognitive stimulation and limiting television watching in the early years of development might reduce children's subsequent risk of becoming bullies," he added.

Previous research had indicated that emotional support from parents helps young children develop empathy, self-regulation and social skills, making them less likely to be bullies, said the report published in the April issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

Researchers have also found that early gaps in learning and understanding may make children less competent in dealing with their peers and that violence on television leads to aggressive behavior, it added.

The Washington study reached its conclusions by looking at data from a study of 1,266 four-year-olds whose bullying -- based on assessments from their mothers -- was tracked at ages 6 through 11. Overall, about 13 percent the children turned out to be bullies.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: aggression; bullying; correlation; notcausation; socialdevelopment; tv

1 posted on 04/04/2005 3:21:28 PM PDT by Crackingham
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To: Crackingham

Or perhaps it's general lack of parental involvement in the child's life that causes him to seek attention by bullying.


2 posted on 04/04/2005 3:41:48 PM PDT by mtbopfuyn (Legality does not dictate morality... Lavin)
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To: mtbopfuyn
Or perhaps it's general lack of parental involvement in the child's life that causes him to seek attention by bullying.

It only took you one sentence to refute an entire article.

You did hit it on the head.

3 posted on 04/04/2005 3:49:06 PM PDT by Sonny M ("oderint dum metuant")
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To: mtbopfuyn

Oh thats too easy...you'll just have to keep quiet okay...they like to do their little studies and they don't need the truth waved in their faces, you'll just end up giving them self esteem issues...LOL...I'm just joking with you BTW...


4 posted on 04/04/2005 3:55:41 PM PDT by MD_Willington_1976
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To: Crackingham

What they watch is what they reproduce.

Bullying can be readily traced to what was put on. We didn't used to have the violence we see today on the tube.
We didn't have the degree of bullying, either.


5 posted on 04/04/2005 3:56:33 PM PDT by Spirited (God, Bless America)
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To: Crackingham

Nah - the have it all wrong

Kids that drink milk are more likely to bully.

Seriously, what does this statistic mean - all kids watch tv


6 posted on 04/04/2005 4:01:41 PM PDT by spanalot
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To: spanalot

my kids did not watch any network TV until my youngest could read- only one movie per month, pre- screened by me. Nazi mom strikes again! Now they are up to a whopping 2 hours on Saturday and movies on Tues, Fri & Sat.
No Disney channel- too many tighted shirted silicone chicas.


7 posted on 04/04/2005 4:07:33 PM PDT by momincombatboots (Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber)
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To: spanalot

I never did. We didn't have a tv while I was growing up. When we did finally get one we just used it to watch movies after dinner with my grandmother Saturday nights.

I have cable now, but I'm going to severely restrict my future children's tv-watching time. I'd much rather they read or played outdoors.


8 posted on 04/04/2005 4:12:00 PM PDT by ahayes
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To: Crackingham

My older brother was a bully, and he definitely watched more TV than me, but the bully came first, and the more TV came from he had the power of bullying to control access to the television machine. So empirical evidence leads me to believe this article is a load of crap.


9 posted on 04/04/2005 4:12:49 PM PDT by webheart (Pajamarazzi Rules!)
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To: momincombatboots

"No Disney channel"

No glorification of rodents in your household?
You're such a bully! ;-)


10 posted on 04/04/2005 4:15:08 PM PDT by spanalot
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To: Crackingham

so, what caused bullying 100 years ago?


11 posted on 04/04/2005 4:47:47 PM PDT by RaceBannon ((Prov 28:1 KJV) The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.)
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To: mtbopfuyn

exactly - there have been bullies long before TV was invented, for pete's sake !


12 posted on 04/04/2005 5:21:28 PM PDT by cinives (On some planets what I do is considered normal.)
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To: Crackingham
Big Bird, Elmo and the Teletubbies makes em mean.
13 posted on 04/04/2005 6:14:06 PM PDT by Mike Darancette (MESOCONS FOR RICE '08)
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To: Crackingham
Yet another report of pseudo-scientific BS designed to keep the grant money flowing to the lab-coat-wearing charlatans and snake oil salesmen.

"Move along, people, nothing to see here."

14 posted on 04/04/2005 6:25:58 PM PDT by FierceDraka (The Democratic Party - Aiding and Abetting The Enemies of America Since 1968)
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To: webheart
So empirical evidence leads me to believe this article is a load of crap.

What you have isn't empirical evidence, but anecdotal evidence, and yet, you are still right in your conclusion.

This article is a load of crap, if the kids are watching to much TV, how much do you want to bet, thats the least of their problems.

15 posted on 04/04/2005 6:58:17 PM PDT by Sonny M ("oderint dum metuant")
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To: RaceBannon
so, what caused bullying 100 years ago?

Geeks, nerds and dweebs who needed a beating to be kept in line.

16 posted on 04/04/2005 6:59:05 PM PDT by Sonny M ("oderint dum metuant")
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To: Crackingham
Is this article suggesting that children should not follow the "laws of the playground"?

Such as.

1)Always make fun of people who are different from you.

2)Never rat out to the teachers,

etc.

17 posted on 04/04/2005 7:01:00 PM PDT by Sonny M ("oderint dum metuant")
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To: Crackingham

I get the distict impression that "bully" is just a euphamism for "act like a boy". When they can not drug little boys as mentally sick, they will then label as bullies.


18 posted on 04/04/2005 7:01:19 PM PDT by longtermmemmory (VOTE!)
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To: RaceBannon

That was similar to my question. Where was Nellie Olsen watching TV?


19 posted on 04/10/2005 3:16:26 PM PDT by paltz (no, really...I'm taking you seriously.)
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