Too much TV ‘leads to speech problems in children’

LONDON - New research suggests that spending too much time in front of the TV or computer is hindering the development of children’s speech.

One in six parents believes too much time screen time is a major contributor to increasing communication problems that affect more than a million children in the UK.

51 per cent of those questioned think youngsters can suffer from speech problems if their parents do not talk to them enough.

The findings are contained in a survey of 6,000 people, including 3,000 parents, conducted by the Communication Trust to mark the launch of the Hello campaign - the national year of communication.

It found that 16 per cent of adults, and 17 per cent of parents, believe too much time in front of screens is one of the most common causes of speech, language and communication needs.

The Trust said that speech, language and communication needs affect more than a million UK children, and the main cause is genetic and biological reasons.

“Ten per cent of children - that’s two to three in every UK classroom - have some form of long-term communication difficulty that is biologically based,” the Daily Mail quoted Jean Gross, England’s Communication Champion, as saying.

“Their brains don’t process language in quite the same way that other children’s brains do.

“These results reinforce the need for the Hello campaign to radically improve understanding of speech, language and communication difficulties and the impact this has on children’s lives,” Gross added.

The report has been published in Ofsted. (ANI)