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Tot TV: Does time in front of the tube help or hinder a toddler's development?

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Too much time in front of the tube as a two-year-old can be linked to negative consequences at age 10, a new study suggests.

Researchers studied more than 1,300 children in Quebec and found that higher TV exposure as toddlers corresponded to lower achievement in math, increased victimization by classmates and less physical activity at age 10. Youngsters who had watched a lot of TV as tots also tended to consume more junk food and soft drinks and be plumper, according to the study in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

Parents reported their toddlers' viewing habits to the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development, and teachers evaluated the children when they were 10.

However, Deborah Linebarger, director of the Children's Media Lab at the University of Pennsylvania, says all television shouldn't be lumped together. Her research indicates that watching educational TV during the preschool years correlates with higher grades and more leisure reading of books in high school.

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Toddler TV viewing: Has it helped or hindered your child? Take our poll.

(This poll is not scientific. It is based on readers' votes.)

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