Dennie Quill, Contributor

In conversations about the eroding standards of society many people have pointed to the negative impact of media, particularly television, on the minds of youths. Much blame for societal ills was laid at the feet of media without the value of empirical research. However, I have recently come across an item of news from the United Kingdom, which states that television should be treated as a public health issue and that the dosage for children needs to be regulated.

Psychologist, Dr. Aric Sigman, who has authored the book, Remotely controlled: How television is damaging our lives, has also recently concluded a study in which he listed 15 ways that a child's health can be damaged owing to television viewing his work was done with a British audience in mind, I feel that there are some lessons which could be learnt by us here in Jamaica.

Media choices are proliferating at an alarming rate, from cellphones to the Internet; consumers are bombarded with messages of the ideal look, designer clothing etc. The result is that people are not happy with themselves or what they have. I have heard people argue that this is what has given rise to increased theft. People of days gone by were poor, but they were not in the habit of looting and killing in the name of need.

Another crisis has been identified in the rise of sexual crimes. There is a feeling, albeit unscientific, that the images viewed on cable television have led to this deviant behaviour in many teenagers and older men too.

Sigman said his findings implicated television in "the greatest unacknowledged health scandal of our time" and is recommending that government should get involved by issuing guidelines to parents, including regulating the number of viewing hours for children.

Here are some of his guidelines:

Ages three to seven: 30 minutes to one hour per day.

Ages seven to 12: One hour per day.

Ages 12 to 15: One and a half hours a day.

Ages 16 and over: Two hours.

He has also cited the following 15 harmful effects of TV on children:

Obesity. A result of little exercise.

Disrupted hormones. Light from televisions suppresses production of the key hormone melatonin.

Lowered immune system. Reduced melatonin may increase the chance of mutations in cell DNA, which causes cancer.

Premature puberty. Also linked to low levels of melatonin.

Sleep disorders. Over-stimulating the senses causes sleeplessness.

Autism. Linked to a lack of social interaction.

Increased body fat levels of hormones which produce fat and boost appetite.

Poor concentration. Development of brain cells governing attention span is impaired.

Difficulty reading. Result of poor intellectual stimulation while young.

Type 2 diabetes - From eating high-calorie food while watching TV.

Changes to skin immune cells. Waves emitted by sets are linked to changes in skin 'mast' cells.

Increased cholesterol. A result of an inactive childhood.

Slower metabolism. Watching TV may slow the metabolism more than simply doing nothing.

Shortsightedness. Staring at a screen can lead to eye damage.

Alzheimer's disease. Heavy viewing linked to increased risk.

Broadcasters in Britain have dismissed these findings saying television was an easy scapegoat for society's problems. Others who have disagreed with some of these recommendations have suggested that rather than banning television for children under three, there should be a focus on improving the quality of programmes. Parents should not ignore these findings, they should examine the media choices being made by their children.