Research shows the amount of time young people spend in sedentary
behaviors has increased in recent years, and while this includes TV time, it is a
dramatic increase in other types of screen time, such as computers and video games,
that appears to be driving the trend.7
There also has been an increase in the
percentage of kids who spend an excessive amount of time (2 or more hours per day)
in sedentary behaviors. A number of studies link TV viewing with increased risk for
overweight and obesity among children and teens.8, 9–14 Efforts to reverse the nation’s
childhood obesity epidemic should include a focus on reducing kids’ sedentary time,
especially time spent viewing TV.