Here is my revised answer to your question:

Without conducting a study of my own or writing a post-graduate level research paper on the topic, it is hard to answer the questions you have asked. As a parent who got fed up with her children's heroin-like addiction to the zombifying effects of television and promptly cancelled our cable TV subscription, I am very interested in the "scientific" proof that television, computer/video games, and other screen related activities are indeed as harmful as my instincts tell me they are.

I've scoured the web, and developed a hunch that the harm lies in the suppression of the DMN (Default Mode Network), or, the "resting state" of the brain. This is where your mind "goes" when it wanders. This is a link you will have to cut and paste because I have no idea how to code it as a proper link '<code'ftp://198.177.254.172/NewMindDocs/Downloads/Default%20Network%20Buckner%20et%20al.pdf' It's an article about the default mode network with references worth exploring. I haven't found a direct link between watching tv and the DMN in children but there is a recent study done on adults that illustrates how blinking momentarily activates the DMN, and that people adjust the rate of blinking based on content (they don't want to miss anything). Interestingly, even young children are capable of this too, as evidenced in a study that examined the differences in blink patterns of autistic and "normal" toddlers.

To be clear, the brain is not doing nothing while in default mode...it is engaged in internalizing experiences into memories, social cognition, and making plans for the future. Some of our most creative, profound thoughts occur during default mode thinking. Most importantly, the DMN is thought to be responsible for making us the social creatures that we are- which, if suppressed too often, could contribute to a lack of feeling "connected," at the least, with the world, which may be why studies show that the more TV people watch, the sadder they are prone to be.

As for computer screens (where one might be surfing the web, reading articles, etc...) - Dr. Larry Rosen's article "How Much Technology Should You Let Your Child Use" in the Huffington Post points to studies that show that the mind is overstimulated by constantly switching between multiple screens/tasks. It could be argued that computer and video games would have the same effect.

I hope that this at the very least provides a few good rabbit holes to fall into on your quest to determine the exact detriment that TV/Screens time has on children, and, humanity.

Here is my revised answer to your question:

Without conducting a study of my own or writing a post-graduate level research paper on the topic, it is hard to answer the questions you have asked. As a parent who got fed up with her children's heroin-like addiction to the zombifying effects of television and promptly cancelled our cable TV subscription, I am very interested in the "scientific" proof that television, computer/video games, and other screen related activities are indeed as harmful as my instincts tell me they are.

I've scoured the web, and developed a hunch that the harm lies in the suppression of the DMN (Default Mode Network), or, the "resting state" of the brain. This is where your mind "goes" when it wanders. A link here. It's an article about the default mode network with references worth exploring. I haven't found a direct link between watching tv and the DMN in children but there is a recent study done on adults that illustrates how blinking momentarily activates the DMN, and that people adjust the rate of blinking based on content (they don't want to miss anything). Interestingly, even young children are capable of this too, as evidenced in a study that examined the differences in blink patterns of autistic and "normal" toddlers.

To be clear, the brain is not doing nothing while in default mode...it is engaged in internalizing experiences into memories, social cognition, and making plans for the future. Some of our most creative, profound thoughts occur during default mode thinking. Most importantly, the DMN is thought to be responsible for making us the social creatures that we are- which, if suppressed too often, could contribute to a lack of feeling "connected," at the least, with the world, which may be why studies show that the more TV people watch, the sadder they are prone to be.

As for computer screens (where one might be surfing the web, reading articles, etc...) - Dr. Larry Rosen's article "How Much Technology Should You Let Your Child Use" in the Huffington Post points to studies that show that the mind is overstimulated by constantly switching between multiple screens/tasks. It could be argued that computer and video games would have the same effect.

I hope that this at the very least provides a few good rabbit holes to fall into on your quest to determine the exact detriment that TV/Screens time has on children, and, humanity.

Without spending a lot of time researching this (which I don't have, since I'm on my seventh disaster/appliance breakdown/random calamitous event in a fortnight) my initial hypothesis (based on research) is that TV/screens cause people to blink less often, which, aside from causing dry eyes and fatigue (which affects vision) also deprives the brain of the "break " it gets during the blink. Studies show that our brains' attention "relaxes" during a blink, and despite the fact that it is a very short break, it is necessary in order to optimally focus on the task at hand. So, it may be that watching too much tv negatively affects attention (ADHD anyone?) because people don't blink enough and the brain gets weary without it's regularly scheduled breaks. (Great question BTW!)

Here is my revised answer to your question:

Without conducting a study of my own or writing a post-graduate level research paper on the topic, it is hard to answer the questions you have asked. As a parent who got fed up with her children's heroin-like addiction to the zombifying effects of television and promptly cancelled our cable TV subscription, I am very interested in the "scientific" proof that television, computer/video games, and other screen related activities are indeed as harmful as my instincts tell me they are.

I've scoured the web, and developed a hunch that the harm lies in the suppression of the DMN (Default Mode Network), or, the "resting state" of the brain. This is where your mind "goes" when it wanders. This is a link you will have to cut and paste because I have no idea how to code it as a proper link '<code'ftp://198.177.254.172/NewMindDocs/Downloads/Default%20Network%20Buckner%20et%20al.pdf' It's an article about the default mode network with references worth exploring. I haven't found a direct link between watching tv and the DMN in children but there is a recent study done on adults that illustrates how blinking momentarily activates the DMN, and that people adjust the rate of blinking based on content (they don't want to miss anything). Interestingly, even young children are capable of this too, as evidenced in a study that examined the differences in blink patterns of autistic and "normal" toddlers.

To be clear, the brain is not doing nothing while in default mode...it is engaged in internalizing experiences into memories, social cognition, and making plans for the future. Some of our most creative, profound thoughts occur during default mode thinking. Most importantly, the DMN is thought to be responsible for making us the social creatures that we are- which, if suppressed too often, could contribute to a lack of feeling "connected," at the least, with the world, which may be why studies show that the more TV people watch, the sadder they are prone to be.

As for computer screens (where one might be surfing the web, reading articles, etc...) - Dr. Larry Rosen's article "How Much Technology Should You Let Your Child Use" in the Huffington Post points to studies that show that the mind is overstimulated by constantly switching between multiple screens/tasks. It could be argued that computer and video games would have the same effect.

I hope that this at the very least provides a few good rabbit holes to fall into on your quest to determine the exact detriment that TV/Screens time has on children, and, humanity.