TV Depresses Teenagers

Researchers have linked the amount of time a teenager spends watching TV to his proclivity toward Depression. According to the study, every hour a teenager watches TV increases his chances of becoming depressed by just under 10% (8% to be exact, though I find that a pretty weird number and question the math, which was unavailable... well, I'm not wading through it). Other forms of entertainment - such as online media - did not have any effect.

While the results do not prove that TV-viewing alone causes Depression, the research at least draws a connection; the circumstantial evidence supporting the theory is there, is what the researchers are suggesting.

The study followed a "representative sample" of teenagers for seven years, so the findings seem fairly strong. However, the actual numbers lead one to question the assumption: out of just over 4000 teens followed, just over 300 met the qualifications for clinical Depression, and those 308 teenagers had watched an average of 22 minutes more TV per day than their peers in the study. All that aside, my personal feeling is that 308 teenagers out of 4,142 are basically going to be Depressed - 300 out of every 4000 people of any age are likely to meet the criteria for clinical Depression! Of course, I'm no doctor; I'm just saying.

Researchers noted this TV watching likely replaced time otherwise spent in more social activities, sleeping, and general pursuits thought to lessen the chance of depression. But the researchers didn't miss the opportunity to note that the ads and programs they were watching could have led to feelings of inadequacy, worthlessness, anxiety, and other feelings which play into Depression.

While admitting that TV is rougher than it was even 10 years ago, Australian researcher, Andrew Campbell, noted TV viewers are more inured to them, as well. This makes the findings weaker than they would have been originally.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009