15 minutes of television a day could hamper your child's creativity!

Zee Media Bureau

London: Every parent in the world must have asked their kids to stay away from watching too much television.

At that point in time, we felt they're just trying to take away one of the best sources of entertainment from us – who would give up on their favourite cartoons, after all?

But if the results of a new study are to be believed, it appears our parents knew something that we definitely didn't and this could be a practice that parents with young children can inculcate in them.

As per the study, children who spend just 15 minutes or more a day watching their favourite cartoons on television may be at an increased risk of losing their creative minds as compared to those who read books or solve jigsaw puzzles.

"There was clear evidence that children came up with less original ideas immediately after watching television,"said Sarah Rose, Lecturer at Staffordshire University in Britain," although adding "these effects disappeared after a short time."

However, "if children are less creative in their play, this could, over time, negatively impact their development," Rose said.

The study is potentially useful to those who produce children's television shows, early year educators, as well as parents.

The findings were presented at the British Psychological Developmental Conference in Belfast, recently.

(With IANS inputs)