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Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 TV commercials might also have an influence, he said. "You see about 20,000 television advertisements a year, and a large proportion of them dwell on the fact that life is not perfect," Primack noted.
TV viewing might also replace social, intellectual or athletic activities that protect against depression, and late-night watching might disrupt normal sleep, which is essential for emotional and intellectual development, he said.
It would be desirable to know whether specific kinds of television exposure might be linked to later development of depression, Primack said. "Probably there are certain kinds of exposure that are depression-genic," he said. "If we learned more about whether certain exposures increase the risk, we might be able to do things about them."
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The study was called "a very good first step toward demonstrating this relationship between television and depression," said David S. Bickham, a research scientist at the Center on Media and Child Health of Children's Hospital, Boston.
"It demonstrates a high level of sophistication," Bickham said. "While it doesn't prove causality, it is evidence in that direction. More studies are needed to explore the issue further and see what is going on."
Another report in the same issue of the journal -- on a different matter of concern for parents -- found that marijuana use by European and North American teenagers appears to be decreasing.
Data on more than 93,000 15-year-olds analyzed by Swiss researchers found a decrease in most countries between 2002 and 2006.
The team found that pot use is higher among teenagers who frequently go out with friends, and the number of evenings that teens typically spent with friends declined during the four years of the study.
More information
Tips for parents on TV and teens are offered by the Rhode Island Department of Health.
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