Oregon Public Broadcasting

A new report by the Centers for Disease Control says that 20 percent of Oregon toddlers are watching too much television — two or more hours a day.

It’s the first time a federal report has included Oregon-specific data about tots and TV.

Watching too much TV is linked to childhood obesity and problems with learning, attention span, and emotional development.

John Oh works for the CDC in Oregon.  He recommends parents of two-year-olds limit TV watching to an hour or two of quality programming. He also says parents should be there too.

John Oh: “If they’re going to watch TV, they’re better off watching it with an adult and interacting together. Compared to if the child was just left alone in front of a TV.”

The CDC says that toddlers who have bedroom TVs are twice as likely to watch too much.

The study did not account for other popular media such as computers and video games.