As U.S. children are exposed to 8½ hours of TV, video games, computers and other media a day — often at once — are they losing the ability to concentrate? Dr. Michael Rich, Director of CMCH, weighs in on the discussion.
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Gov. Blagojevich commends House for passing the Safe Games Illinois Act; Encourages Senate to follow suit

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Dr. Michael Rich, Director of the Center on Media and Child Health, testifies in support of Governor’s plan to restrict the sale of violent and sexually explicit video games to minors.
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“All it takes to control asthma is the right medication, clean air, and a reasonably stress-free life. But for millions of children caught up in the epidemic, none of those things are anywhere within reach.”

After analyzing 489 hours of video diaries of asthma patients through Video Intervention/Prevention Assessment (VIA), Dr. Michael Rich, Director of CMCH, says “It’s not just about medicating a pair of lungs — it’s about respecting your patients’ lives and getting them to believe that they can take care of themselves.”

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“Increasingly, babies and toddlers are logging more and more time in front of the screen, watching an array of programs and videos created just for them. Officially, the American
Academy of Pediatrics advises against any screen time at all for kids under 2. But a recent study by the organization revealed that the typical 1-year old watches an average of
2.2 hours of television a day.”

“How are all these electronic media affecting babies and toddlers? At this point, there’s little research – and no firm consensus.”

Dr. Michael Rich
, Director of CMCH, says “We don’t have any scientific proof that watching educational media improves babies’ knowledge or abilities. Broadcasters are convinving parents
that if their children aren’t watching these programs, they’re somehow missing out. But that just isn’t the case.”