The British Newspaper, The Mirror, has released a front page with one of the most sensationalist titles it could do:

TV & COMPUTER CRAZE IS GIVING KIDS CANCER!

While that sounds a bit over the top the article goes on to explain that “Children glued to TV and computer screens at increased risk of cancer and obesity… experts have long been concerned about inactive children and obesity, but the World Cancer Research Fund has issued a fresh warning over kids who exercise and still turn to games and the TV.”

However, none of the experts cited in the article have directly linked game playing to cancer. A spokesperson for the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health stated that its message was specifically about sedentary lifestyles in young people, which is linked to numerous health risks.

The specialist wanted to get across the message that children need to be more active in their lives or they would suffer health risks in the future, no specific area of TV or computer use was targeted, all electronic distractions were mentioned in the same light, “Whether it’s mobile phones, games consoles, TVs or laptops, advances in technology mean children are exposed to screens for longer amounts of time than ever before. We are becoming increasingly concerned that this encourages a more sedentary lifestyle.”

Lastly, “Craze” is the worse way to describe this, TV is no longer a craze and the same can be said for computer games thus further proving that this is just more sensationalist exaggeration whipped up by the paper.

What do you think of this? Over the top? Or not? Let us know in the comments below!