New research shows that preschoolers who either have a television in their bedroom or live in a home are not developing the necessary skills needed to deal with other people.

The study conducted by researchers out of Ohio State University observed a group of 107 children between the ages of 3 and 6. Parents were questioned about their children's TV habits (how many hours of TV they watched, where the TV set was located, what networks they watched). The kids were subjected to various tests meant to reveal their understanding of other people's thoughts and feelings. The results:
"Both background television exposure and having a TV in the child's bedroom were significantly and negatively related" to these all-important abilities. The researchers suggest these may be markers of household where "parents are relatively less engaged with their children," giving the kids fewer opportunities for intellectual and emotional growth. In addition, television may present kids "with unidimensional portraits of characters and situations that lack depth and require only superficial processing to understand," they write.
Kids who were raised where the TV is constantly on as background noise struggled more with "theory of the mind". This is the ability to read other people, and to understand that not everybody shares your feelings or point-of-view. Developing theory of the mind is a huge part of the average person's maturation process as it gives people the ability to empathize and care about things that don't immediately effect them.

Of course, not all the stuff on television is bad for you. Some television networks have been found to have a more positive effect on kids than others. However, this might be a good reason not let your toddler have their own TV in their bedroom.

[Pacific Standard]