I've written about the wide variety of health benefits that exercise provides, one of which is treating Depression and boosting mental health. These benefits apply to children as well as adults, and, in fact, the younger you start, the greater the long-term benefits.

However, there's nary a household in the US that doesn't have at least one TV, and/or a computer, and for all their potential benefits, TV-watching and computer use also has a long list of drawbacks, especially where children are concerned.

Most troubling is the finding that you may not be able to compensate for time spent in front of the TV or the computer screen. Because regardless of your child's overall level of physical activity, spending more than two hours a day on these digital displays may be all it takes to impact their mental and emotional health...

Kids Spend an Astounding Amount of Time Watching TV or Using Computer

Today, less than one-third of kids aged 6 to 17 get at least 20 minutes of vigorous exercise a day.

Compare that to the TV-watching statistics below, and you'll realize just how troublesome the above findings may be. It may even be a crucial part of the equation that might explain why so many children are now using anti-anxiety and antidepressant drugs.

• The average American watches nearly FIVE HOURS of TV a day


• More than half of American children have a television in their bedroom; one study put the number at 70 percent


• Twice as many adolescents with a television in their bedroom watch more than five hours of TV a day compared with youths without a TV in their bedroom


• 90 percent of American toddlers, under the age of 2, watch TV, videos and DVD's regularly


• About 40 percent of babies, under 3 months of age, watch TV, videos and DVD's regularly


• Based on a 2007 survey of families in two states, kids at 3 months watched less than an hour of TV daily, and that viewing time climbed to 90 minutes as children reached the toddler stage

Visual digital media such as television programming and educational DVD's are being increasingly introduced to an ever younger audience.

Unfortunately, contrary to what you've been told, this type of educational material may actually retard language development rather than speed it up!

British psychologist Aric Sigman writes in his 2008 paper titled, DOES NOT COMPUTE, Screen Technology in Early Years Education:

"… [T]he scientists found that for every hour per day spent watching specially developed baby DVDs and videos such as Baby Einstein and Brainy Baby, children under 16 months understood an average of six to eight fewer words than children who did not watch them.

One of the authors stated," The evidence is mounting that they are of no value and may in fact be harmful.

Given what we now know, I believe the onus is on the manufacturers to prove their claims that watching these programs can positively impact children's cognitive development. The bottom line is the more a child watches baby DVDs and videos the bigger the effect. The amount of viewing does matter."

Wow!

So much for Baby Einstein and teaching your child to use a computer as soon as they're able to press a button, with the hopes of boosting their development...

The Steep Price of Letting Your Child have a TV in Their Bedroom

Keeping a TV in your child's bedroom is not a wise parenting decision, based on the evidence available.

A growing body of research shows strong links between a TV in the bedroom and numerous health and educational problems.

Children with TVs in their bedroom:

• Score lower on school tests


• Are more likely to have sleep problems


• Are more likely to be overweight


• May have an increased risk of smoking


• Tend to consume more unhealthy foods

Exercising More May Not Be Enough, Unless You Also Shut Off the TV...

Clearly, the vast majority of kids and teens are in dire need of more exercise. However, based on the findings reported in the journal Pediatrics this month, exercising more may not be enough to compensate for the detrimental impact of TV and computer use.

The other side of the equation is shutting off your TV and computer more often...

As reported by Live Science:

"The study found that regardless of age, gender, socioeconomic status, or whether a child had hit puberty, more than two hours a day in front of a TV or computer was associated with more emotional and behavioral difficulties.

Most importantly, the connection between screen time and psychological problems held regardless of how much overall physical activity the kids engaged in."

What that means is that it's not a sedentary lifestyle that poses the greatest risk to your child's mental health, but rather the activities your child engages in while being sedentary.

Other sedentary activities, such as reading or doing homework, had no detrimental impact on the children's mental health.

Another interesting fact was that the total amount of time spent on sedentary activities in general also did not have a negative impact on mental health – only the amount of time spent watching TV or in front of the computer impacted their psychology and behavior.

The researchers found that:

• Children who spent more than two hours a day watching TV or using a computer were 61 and 59 percent more likely to experience high levels of psychological difficulties, respectively


• Children who spent more than two hours a day watching TV, and also failed to meet physical activity guidelines, were 70 percent more likely to experience high levels of psychological difficulties


• This risk increased to 81 percent for children who used a computer for more than two hours a day while also failing to meet recommended exercise guidelines

Watching TV Changes Your Brain Chemistry

While much of the TV debate focuses on advertising messages and the impact of violent or sexually explicit programming on young minds, there's an even more disturbing aspect to television.

As it turns out, TV may be harmful no matter what programs your kids are watching or what ads they're exposed to!

Yes, television in and of itself is one of the most powerful brainwashing devices there is.

According to research by Dr. Aric Sigman, a British psychologist, watching TV actually causes physiological changes – mainly changes in your brain chemistry – and there's nothing beneficial about them.

These changes have little to do with the content you're watching, but rather the fact that when you're watching a TV or computer screen, you're in essence entraining your brain to function and process information differently.

Watching a TV (or computer screen) produces an almost narcotic effect on your brain, actually numbing areas that would be stimulated by other activities, like reading.

And, the longer you watch, the easier your brain slips into a receptive, passive mode, meaning that messages are streamed into your brain without any participation from you. This of course is every advertiser's dream, and accounts for much of the success companies achieve by putting ads on TV.

Watching TV also disrupts the production of the hormone melatonin, according to Dr. Sigman, which could be playing a role in sleep disturbances and even causing early puberty in adolescents.

The 15 Potential Side Effects of Watching TV

Through his research, Dr. Sigman has identified 15 negative effects that he believes can be associated with watching television:

1. Obesity


2. Trouble healing


3. Heart trouble


4. Decreased metabolism


5. Eyesight damage


6. Alzheimer's disease


7. Decreased attention span


8. Hormone disturbances


9. Cancer


10. Early puberty


11. Autism


12. Sleep difficulties


13. Increased appetite


14. Limited brain growth


15. Diabetes

How to Get Your Kids Moving

I think there's no doubt that it is imperative to limit your child's TV, computer, and video game time, in addition to encouraging your child to spend more time doing some form of physical activity.



Overweight and obese children will need at least 30 minutes of exercise each day, and may benefit from closer to 60 minutes. But even if your child is not overweight, you should encourage him or her to take part in physically engaging activities after school and on the weekends – the benefits are just too plenty and too varied to be ignored, including boosting mental health.

Encourage your child to engage in activities that are naturally interesting to them, such as playing on the monkey bars, rollerblading, skateboarding, dancing or playing basketball with friends. Allow your kids to exercise in bursts throughout the day -- a game of tag here, a bike ride there -- so they don't feel pressured or like they're being "punished."

Like adults, kids need variety to their exercise routines, so be sure your child is getting in aerobic, interval training, weight-training, stretching and core-building activities. This may sound daunting, but if your child participates in a gymnastics class, sprints around the backyard after the dog often and rides his bike after school, you'll be covered.

Interestingly, burst-type interval exercises are typically what most children will do spontaneously, and even young children can begin implementing Peak 8 exercises. This type of high-intensity exertion is what most people are missing from their exercise program.

Last but not least, remember that you act as a role model by staying active yourself.

If your kids see you embracing exercise in a positive way, they will naturally follow suit. Plus, it's easy to plan active activities that involve the whole family and double up as fun ways to spend time together. Hiking, bike riding, canoeing, swimming and sports are all great options.

Think of it this way … by taking the time to get your kids interested in exercise now, you're giving them a gift that will keep them healthy and happy for the rest of their lives. Combine that with reduced TV and computer use, and you're giving your child the best platform possible for a healthy, long life – physically, mentally and emotionally.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein's (D-Calif.) amendment to the latest food-safety bill would have banned the use of the toxic chemical bisphenol-A (BPA) from baby bottles and sippy cups, required the FDA to finalize their safety assessment of the chemical by December 2012, and allowed states to ban the chemical entirely if they so choose.

Unfortunately, thanks to heavy pressure from the chemical industry, the amendment has been withdrawn from consideration.

U.S. Babies and Children at Risk From BPA

That BPA should be taken out of all products intended for children is a no-brainer.

Of 115 published animal studies, 81 percent found significant effects from even low-level exposure to BPA. This toxic chemical, an endocrine disrupter, first caught researchers' attention after normal mice began to display uncommon genetic abnormalities.

The defects were linked to plastic cages and water bottles that had been cleaned with a harsh detergent, causing BPA to leach out of the plastic.

After determining how much BPA the mice had been exposed to, the researchers realized even an extremely small dose of 20 parts per billion daily, for just five to seven days, was enough to produce effects.

Some of the greatest concern surrounds early-life exposure to BPA, which can lead to chromosomal errors in the developing fetus, triggering spontaneous miscarriages and genetic damage. And being exposed to just 0.23 parts per billion of BPA is enough to disrupt the effect of estrogen in a baby's developing brain.

For this reason, women of childbearing age and those who are pregnant, along with infants and children, should be especially diligent at avoiding BPA.

BPA in Baby Bottles Already Banned in Canada, Why Not the U.S.?

BPA in baby bottles has already been banned in Canada and several U.S. states. Other measures are being considered in 30 U.S. states and municipalities -- but at a federal level, the government is treading water and choosing to protect the interests of the chemical industry in favor of public health.

The American Chemistry Council, a lobby group for the chemical industry that issued a statement in early 2010 denying the health hazards of BPA, clearly does not want to see this cash cow bite the dust ... nor be held accountable for health problems related to its use. They will pull out all the stops to keep this chemical in your food packaging, baby bottles, and more for as long as possible.

Despite all the research showing serious health effects at low-level exposure, the U.S. FDA has virtually no power to do anything about it because BPA was classified in 1963 as an indirect food additive and is listed among the 3,000 or so chemicals categorized as GRAS ("generally regarded as safe").

This outdated GRAS designation is what exempts BPA from more careful scrutiny and analysis.

According to the FDA's regulations, a substance granted GRAS status is not subject to FDA review. The Agency explains these limitations via an "update" on its website:

"Current BPA food contact uses were approved under food additive regulations issued more than 40 years ago. This regulatory structure limits the oversight and flexibility of the FDA.

Once a food additive is approved, any manufacturer of food or food packaging may use the food additive in accordance with the regulation. There is no requirement to notify the FDA of that use.

For example, today there exist hundreds of different formulations for BPA-containing epoxy linings, which have varying characteristics. As currently regulated, manufacturers are not required to disclose to FDA the existence or nature of these formulations.

Furthermore, if the FDA were to decide to revoke one or more approved uses, the FDA would need to undertake what could be a lengthy process of rulemaking to accomplish this goal."

Where is BPA Found?

In 2009, more than 6 billion pounds of BPA were made, representing nearly $7 billion in sales. It is one of the world's highest production-volume chemicals and is widely used in the production of:

• Plastic water bottles


• Plastic gallon milk bottles


• Plastic microwavable plates, ovenware, and utensils


• Baby toys, bottles, pacifiers, and sippy cups


• Canned foods and soda cans (most have plastic lining in the cans)


• Tooth sealants

The use of BPA is so pervasive that scientists have found that 95 percent of people tested have dangerous levels of BPA in their bodies.

Again, some of the biggest victims are your children, who may be exposed to the chemical while in utero, and are quite literally "fed" the chemical via plastic baby bottles, sippy cups and toys (which they often put in their mouths).

The cumulative effect of being exposed to minuscule amounts of BPA from cans, bottles, plates and all other sources over the years can eventually spell serious trouble for your health.

One recent study found the chemical can lead to heart disease, diabetes and liver problems in adults, and previous research has linked BPA to:

• Structural damage to your brain


• Hyperactivity, increased aggressiveness, and impaired learning


• Increased fat formation and risk of obesity


• Altered immune function


• Early puberty, stimulation of mammary gland development, disrupted reproductive cycles, and ovarian dysfunction


• Changes in gender-specific behavior, and abnormal sexua| behavior


• Stimulation of prostate cancer cells


• Increased prostate size, and decreased sperm production


• Diabetes


• Heart disease


• Liver damage

You Can Take Action, Even if the Federal Government Won't

There has been enough negative press about BPA that the public has been demanding safer, BPA-free alternatives. As a result, as of late summer 2010 BPA bills were pending in five state legislatures, and earlier this year numerous positive steps have been made to get this toxin out of U.S. food containers:

• Vermont banned BPA in baby food, formula and bottles, and will restrict its use in metal food cans starting July 1, 2014


• New York state banned BPA in bottles, sippy cups, pacifiers and drinking straws beginning December 2010


• General Mills announced in April 2010 that it would use BPA-free cans for Muir Glen organic tomatoes starting with the next harvest

Certain manufacturers, including Philips Avent, Disney First Years, Gerber, Dr. Brown, Playtex and Evenflow, have also said they will stop making baby bottles that contain BPA, while several major retailers, including CVS, Kmart, Walmart, Toys R Us and Babies R Us are removing BPA-containing products from their stores.

So the good news is that there are plenty of resources available for you to find BPA-free alternatives for your family. Please support the companies that are removing this chemical from their products, and look for BPA-free labels on all baby bottles and children's toys you buy.

You can further reduce your family's exposure to this toxic chemical by following these 11 tips:

1. Only use glass baby bottles and dishes for your baby.


2. Get rid of your plastic dishes and cups, and replace them with glass alternatives.


3. Give your baby natural fabric toys instead of plastic ones, and only BPA-free pacifiers and teethers.


4. Store your food and beverages in glass -- NOT plastic -- containers. Glass is the safest and most inert way to store your water and food, and is far better than ANY plastic (even BPA-free varieties).


5. IF you choose to use a microwave, don't microwave food in a plastic container.


6. Use glass, ceramic, or stainless steel travel coffee mugs rather than plastic or Styrofoam coffee cups.


7. Avoid using plastic wrap (and never microwave anything covered in it).


8. If you opt to use plastic kitchenware, at least get rid of the older, scratched-up varieties, avoid putting them in the dishwasher, and don't wash them with harsh detergents, as these things can cause more BPA to leach into your food.


9. Avoid using bottled water; filter your own using a high-quality filter instead.


10. Before allowing a dental sealant to be applied to your, or your children's, teeth, ask your dentist to verify that it does not contain BPA.


11. Avoid using canned foods (including soda cans) as the linings often contain BPA. If you do eat canned foods, choose only those that come in BPA-free cans.