About 1,500 parents participated in a study by a University of New Mexico professor. On average, children between 8 months and 8 years old spent about 232 minutes a day with the TV on in the background.
Researchers say the effects of screen time on developing brains are not well understood. But children have been known to spend less time playing with friends and interacting with parents than when there is no such distraction.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends limiting media time for kids to less than two hours per day and keeping the TV set and Internet out of the bedroom.
