While the long term effects of this chronic state of stress in the developing child are unknown, we do know that
chronic stress in adults results in a weakened immune system and a variety of serious diseases and disorders.Prolonged visual fixation on a two-dimensional screen at a fixed distance grossly limits ocular development necessary
for eventual reading and printing. Consider the difference between visual location on a variety of different shaped
and sized objects in the near and far distance (such as practiced in outdoor play), as opposed to looking at a fixed distance glowing screen. This rapid intensity, frequency and duration of visual and auditory stimulation results in a “hard wiring” of the child’s sensory system for high speed, with subsequent devastating effects on a child’s ability to imagine, attend and focus on academic tasks. Dr. Dimitri Christakis found that each hour of TV watched daily between the ages of birth and seven years equated to a 10% increase in attention problems by age seven (13).