Twenty - nine percent of children 2 to 3 years of age have a television in their bedroom, and 30 % of parents have reported that watching a television program enabled their children to fall asleep.3 Although parents perceive a televised program to be a calming
sleep aid, some programs actually increase bedtime resistance, delay the
onset of
sleep, cause anxiety about falling asleep, and shorten
sleep duration.41 Specifically, in children younger than 3 years, television viewing is associated with irregular
sleep schedules.42 Poor
sleep habits have adverse effects on mood, behavior, and learning.