Download This PaperAre Television and Video Games Really Harmful for Kids?
15 Pages Posted: 9 Feb 2020
Date Written: January 2015
Abstract
Are watching television (TV) and playing video games really harmful for children’s development? By using a unique longitudinal dataset with detailed information on children’s development and health, we examined the causal effect of hours of TV watched or of video games played on school-aged children’s problem behavior, orientation to school, and obesity. The results suggested that the answer to the question is yes, but the magnitude of the effect is sufficiently small to be considered as negligible. The results were robust to within-twin-fixed effects.
JEL Classification: I10, I20
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
Nakamuro, Makiko and Inui, Tomohiko and Senoh, Wataru and Hiromatsu, Takeshi, Are Television and Video Games Really Harmful for Kids? (January 2015). Contemporary Economic Policy, Vol. 33, Issue 1, pp. 29-43, 2015, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2520671 or http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/coep.12058
Do you want regular updates from SSRN on Twitter?
Feedback
Feedback to SSRN
If you need immediate assistance, call 877-SSRNHelp (877 777 6435) in the United States, or +1 212 448 2500 outside of the United States, 8:30AM to 6:00PM U.S. Eastern, Monday - Friday.