Whoever told you that is wrong.  Those activities do not CAUSE
epilepsy.  Those activities could, however, provoke seizures in someone
who already has epilepsy (even if it is undiagnosed).

In my experience with photosensitivity, which is basically what we've
been talking about (a visual stimulus that acts as a seizure trigger), a
lot of reading might not be tolerated well (at times).

There are things a person can try to reduce the tendency to have
seizures provoked by those activities.  The monitor resolution can be
adjusted, reduce the color contrast, or wear a pair of sunglasses.  In
some circumstances, wearing a hat with a brim might help (for example,
if you are riding in a vehicle and there is flicker from trees or
telephone poles).  A person also needs to check out the environment for
blinking lights (including florescent tubes that are wearing out),
highly patterned things (including tiled floors, ceilings, and walls,
patterned window coverings or upholstery, etc.), flickering shadows, and
so on.  For myself, I've also had problems with very shiny floors, glare
from shiny metal, and even my hair blowing around and getting into my
visual field.  For some people, some sounds will trigger seizures.  The
only reason I'm bringing this matter up is if a person is having
seizures from the activities you mentioned, then the possibility of
other types of similiar triggers probably exists.  I only mentioned a
few of the things that could trigger a seizure in someone prone to that
problem, but everyone is different, and it would be up to the individual
to figure out what those might be.

Barb

Please don't feed the Giga Troll... (try reading the poster's name
backwards)