More TV, fewer books for British kids

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LONDON, Oct. 19 (UPI) -- British children spend three times as much time in front of a television or computer than reading, a study by Pearson Education indicated.

The survey found that one in six mothers and fathers admitted to never reading to their children at bedtime and one in three said they read no more than once a week, The Daily Telegraph reported Friday.

Meanwhile, parents said their children spend on average 90 minutes watching television, 42 minutes playing games and about 30 minutes on the Internet each day.

Some teachers said the over-exposure to technology and lack of reading is damaging students' attention spans, The Daily Telegraph reported.

"Study after study has shown that reading for pleasure is a key indicator of future success for children, but demands on children's attention and the difficulty of inspiring reluctant readers mean many are missing out," said Rod Bristow, president of Pearson Education.

The study surveyed 400 English teachers and 2,000 parents who have children between the ages of 2 and 11.