So a few things here.
Most of us would have grown up in an age where “sitting to close to the TV will ruin your eyes” was pretty much Bs- or at the least unsupported by science and evidence. There are a few places the misconception could have come from.
You CAN experience temporary eye strain from sitting too close to a screen or anything else you are focusing on intently. The experience of that temporary eye strain could lead some to intuitively conclude that doing that too often could cause eye damage.
The second factor is that many people just grew up hearing that and so when they became parents they just repeated what they were taught. It wasn’t until around 1955 that even half of American homes had TV sets- so kids born in the 1970’s and 1980’s parents were generally the first generation to grow up with TV and the technology was common but still sort of new- less than 50 ears old in common use by the early 2000’s- and people are often wary of newer technology and potential..
.. risks- many reading this are old enough that concerns over computers that have been disproven were common- and a lot of us are old enough for various concerns over cell phones- there are still many people who are wary that keeping a phone near them can cause cancer- Wi-Fi cancer and such, wireless charging, I mean way too many people and a U.S. president raised concerns over the cutting edge technology of windmills. Some of these may or may not have at least some degree of validity- but we know these technologies are generally safe.
But it’s not TOTAL crap. Cathode Ray sets are generally not common anymore at all but into the 2000’s they were still the dominant technology. Older sets from the 50’s and 60’s and some 70’s sets were still pretty common in general up into the 1980’s and 90’s. All electronics emit radiation but Very old or somewhat old and antiquated tube based televisions did actually emit small but potentially harmful doses of radiation. Radiation generally decreases in danger exponentially with distance from the source. So when those designs were the dominant technology, and for a period they were still in widespread use afterwards, it actually did make sense to tell people not to sit too close or they could damage their eyes, or at least in absence of study data, it would seem prudent advice.
Modern screens are not believed to emit radiation of a type and quantity to generally pose a danger to the eyes or tissues from close range exposure. Because of differences in how modern screen technology works, heat and light are still the main sources of radiation along with certain other electromagnetic or “radio” waves that are generally believed to be safe at the closure levels produced by modern screens. Even older screens from the 80’s and 90’s and early 2000’s generally produce less radiation of harmful types and are generally considered safe for viewing up close, and it is debatable how much one would need to watch a very old high emissions screen to cause damage if any would occur at all, but in theory very old and high emissions screens could cause damage and that could be in part the origins or one origin of the warnings.
Lastly… much like parents telling children that turning the light on in the car is illegal- while there can be more than one sole reason such as a parent repeating what was heard or believing something that isn’t true etc, it could also just be a matter of prudence.
Kids are generally filthy and clumsy creatures. With a glass screen as was ubiquitous for the most part on older sets, finger prints and urges might be common and annoying- but many modern televisions can be permanently damaged relatively easily by touching the screen- and kids, more so younger kids, often intentionally or accidentally touch the screen.
Kids spill things and get food and bodily fluids and such all over. All potential hazards for a television- something that traditionally can be very expensive. Wanting to keep kids away from the TV makes sense from this perspective alone. Sitting right in front of the TV can block the view of others as well- something kids are often prone to if unchecked, making it difficult to watch anything with any focus.
There is also just a sort of psychological factor- most people have felt or feel that excessive interest and time with screens can harm the development of children and lead to other issues that can impact health and well being. There is a desperation of sorts in sitting so close to the screen as though one is being absorbed by it perhaps.
A parent might be judicious with giving their child candy or sweets for example, and expect they might get excited when recieving them- but if a child literally acted like a crack head or even got violent to attain or protect their treats a parent might be concerned the attachment isn’t healthy. So I’m sure that to some degree the aversion to kids sitting too close to the screen comes from that feeling or place- that it is a behavior that sort of imparts this perception one is too attached or too invested. My god daughter is 2 and has a phone (wifi only) to watch videos on. You cannot get her attention when she is watching it. She will not respond to her name being called or even food being placed in her face. She cries if you take it away and stops almost instantly almost any time you give it to her. While kids that age are not generally the most alert and observant- to her parents (and me) it is alarming.
How things got there and what they might be doing about it aren’t exactly my business or yours as she is their child to raise, but I just wanted to mention that indeed parents have responsibility for children’s behavior at these ages as they are still in sole control of her development and access. So no need to judge or point out that it is their fault etc. I am aware that they created the situation.
The point there is that she is growing up in a world of screens and her parents are worried a bit by that.
Computers and all these screens like tablets etc. are all pretty new too! So each generation has faced this same sort of “panic.” Kids being born in the 1950’s were growing up in a world their parents didn’t know- one where there was TV everywhere. Home movies came and video games and computers so that even those who had grown up with screens their parents didn’t have now had kids growing up with more screens and earlier access than them. Kids born in the late 80’s and 90’s were labeled computer whizzes by adults and media because many of them started using computers at a young age. Kids born in the later 90’s and early 2000’s started being exposed much more commonly to computers and interfaces in toys and at home and school and the youngest generations have been using computers and technology extensively almost since birth.
So for each generation so far there has been this new thing to worry about causing problems or turning kids into zombies or whatever. Since the first TV sets rolled into homes and before that the first radios parents have been telling their kids some version of “turn it off and touch grass.” That isn’t new. And each new technology the adult generations say “this is way worse than when I was a kid..” and now we have parents who grew up with internet, lap tops and desktops at school and home, portable and console and arcade games, digital pets and digital music and media talking about how much worse it is now that kids are growing up with phones and tablets
So I mean- there once were practical reasons that maybe sitting too close was bad for your eyes. There are reasons that one might mistakenly believe that despite no evidence or contrary evidence that based on their own observations it would be bad for your eyes. There are other reasons like repeating what they were taught or just making things up to get kids to behave the way they want- but in general there’s isn’t evidence to support that having a modern screen too close to your eyes will cause harm. Well- I mean I guess if you’re close enough that your eye is touching the screen or the screen penetrates your eye sure. And sitting too close to tv is classically a bad idea because asides blocking the view it could fall on you and kill you or you could damage the tv accidentally etc.
Most of us would have grown up in an age where “sitting to close to the TV will ruin your eyes” was pretty much Bs- or at the least unsupported by science and evidence. There are a few places the misconception could have come from.
You CAN experience temporary eye strain from sitting too close to a screen or anything else you are focusing on intently. The experience of that temporary eye strain could lead some to intuitively conclude that doing that too often could cause eye damage.
The second factor is that many people just grew up hearing that and so when they became parents they just repeated what they were taught. It wasn’t until around 1955 that even half of American homes had TV sets- so kids born in the 1970’s and 1980’s parents were generally the first generation to grow up with TV and the technology was common but still sort of new- less than 50 ears old in common use by the early 2000’s- and people are often wary of newer technology and potential..
Kids are generally filthy and clumsy creatures. With a glass screen as was ubiquitous for the most part on older sets, finger prints and urges might be common and annoying- but many modern televisions can be permanently damaged relatively easily by touching the screen- and kids, more so younger kids, often intentionally or accidentally touch the screen.
There is also just a sort of psychological factor- most people have felt or feel that excessive interest and time with screens can harm the development of children and lead to other issues that can impact health and well being. There is a desperation of sorts in sitting so close to the screen as though one is being absorbed by it perhaps.
The point there is that she is growing up in a world of screens and her parents are worried a bit by that.