Studies conducted in New Zealand and the United Kingdom suggest a link between excessive television viewing by children and antisocial behavior. Researchers at the University of Otago in New Zealand found that the risk of having a criminal conviction by early adulthood increased by about 30% with every hour spent watching television on an average weeknight.
A UK study reported by Science Daily found that five-year-olds who watched more than three hours of television daily were more likely to exhibit antisocial behavior, such as fighting or stealing, by age seven. However, the risk was found to be very small. The same study found no link between playing computer or electronic games and child behavior.
Prolonged viewing time has been linked to various behavioral and emotional problems in children, but most of the research has focused exclusively on television and has primarily been conducted in the U.S.
Read the full article at Science Daily.
For many American teens, the path to college goes through the chapel. Sociologists from Brigham Young University and Rice University found that religiously-affiliated youth are 40% more likely to graduate from high school and 70% more likely to enroll in college than their unaffiliated peers.
Church-goers often serve as mentors who help teens set high academic goals. “Youth have a unique chance to form relationships with peers and mentors outside of their classroom at school or their neighborhood at home,” said Lance Erickson, the lead study author and a sociologist at BYU. “Mentors especially care for, counsel with, and encourage youth in ways that teachers and parents may not be able to.”
Read the full article at BYU News.
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