The effects of old and new media on children's weight

Childhood obesity rates have recently been rising in many countries. It has been suggested in the literature that changes in children s media exposure may contribute to explaining this trend. I investigate whether or not this hypothesis is supported by data. I contribute to the literature by focusing not only on television but also on new media - computers and video games. The Child Development Supplement to the Panel Study of Income Dynamics is used for the analysis. To address the endogeneity of children s media exposure, I use dynamic and panel data models. This is another improvement upon the existing literature. Additionally, an extensive list of control variables is included in the regressions. I find that video game playing or computer use has no effect on children s body weight. On the other hand, television viewing may increase children s body weight slightly.