Sitting too close to the TV damages children's eyes
| Sitting too close to the TV damages children's eyes | |
|---|---|
| FALSE | |
| "Sitting close to the television, or reading in dim light, will permanently damage a child's eyesight." | |
| Domain | Health & Medicine |
| Tactic | Fabrication |
| Era | Historical |
| First seen | 1960s |
| Origin | A real 1967 warning about faulty TV sets that emitted X-rays, later generalized into a rule |
| Last reviewed | 2026-10-30 |
| Further reading: books on Health & Medicine | |
Parents have long told children to move back from the TV to protect their eyes.
The warning had a real origin. In 1967, General Electric recalled some color television sets that emitted excess X-rays. Modern screens do not have that problem, and sitting close does not cause lasting harm.
What the evidence shows
- Eye doctors. The American Academy of Ophthalmology says sitting close to a screen does not damage the eyes, though it can cause eye strain or fatigue.
- Children focus close. Children can focus at short distances more easily than adults, so they often sit close naturally.
- A possible sign. A child who always sits very close to see may be nearsighted and should have an eye exam.
- Screen time. Research does link long periods of close-up work and little time outdoors with rising rates of nearsightedness in children, which is a separate issue from distance to the TV.
Why it matters
The old warning can hide a real clue: a child who needs to sit close may need glasses.
Sources
- American Academy of Ophthalmology, "Will sitting too close to the TV damage your eyes?"
- US Food and Drug Administration, history of radiation-emitting electronic product regulation, 1967–1968.
- Ian G. Morgan et al., "The epidemics of myopia: Aetiology and prevention," Progress in Retinal and Eye Research, 2018.