Watching television is among the most popular leisure activities in the world today. Most people, if not all, start watching television before they begin school. Television is among the most used technologies in today’s world and is considered a good friend in many homes. Some people even slip out of bed at night to watch a program that they adore. Even though watching television has its pros, it also has its share of cons. Some programs are educational and hence they are good not only to the adults, but also to the children. Even though watching television is important in numerous ways, it is not good when it is done for long hours. On top of that, majority of television programs are a ‘trash’ and have no positive impact on our lives.
To begin, watching television for a long time can be harmful to one’s health. People should not think that it is a wonderful life being in front of endless shows and movies on TV. Watching for a long period of time has been linked to obesity and numerous other heart diseases. This is due to the fact that sitting for a long period reduces the physical activity of an individual. Research has also shown that too much watching of television can increase one’s chance of acquiring type 2 diabetes. Moreover, watching for a long time can also cause an eye condition called shortsightedness. This is a condition whereby a person is able to see far objects but cannot view near objects clearly. Additionally, most televisions involve bright colors and this is likely to worsen this condition (Judith, 2004).
Secondly, most television programs feed us with false information. Even though most television programs appear to report reality, in most cases it is distorted. Action movies for instance are full of fantasies and children might be made to believe the lies in them. Although such movies and programs are very entertaining, they are filled with lies which can adversely affect children. Some advertisements that are done on television too are untrue and their prime aim is to increase awareness of the products without focusing on other fundamental aspects like health concerns. There are very few products, if not non that explain the negative effects of their consumption (Lawrence, 2005).
Also, spending too much of your time watching can make you dumb. Majority of television programs are a ‘trash’ and have no positive impact on our intelligence. Some programs and shows can be very educational to all of us. However, some programs can be harmful not only to the general development of a child, but also to adults. Some movies too can be harmful to the kids. Most children acquire negative behaviors from what they watch on television. In addition to that, too much watching can affect a person’s concentration capability. Most people who spend too much time watching lack concentration. A person who spends too much time watching television lowers his or her attention because most movies and television programs switch from one topic to another fairly quickly. Lack of concentration can also be attributed to the combination of both visual and audio media that affects the senses of a person thus affecting his or her concentration capability. On top of that, most children have learnt violent behaviors from watching action movies. If one looks closely at what too much watching of television has brought to his life, he will realize that he is influenced by the aggressive behaviors of movies and shows (Lawrence, 2005).
On top of that, too much watching of television can be a real waste of time. Most of the time that is spent on watching of television could be used for other productive activities. We all need to place food on the table and that cannot be done by spending too much time in front of our televisions. In fact, no one has ever been paid for watching television. By watching TV programs of people doing thing instead of us doing them, we are wasting a lot of time living passively. A survey carried out in the United States revealed that most people spend five to ten hours a day just watching television. This is a real waste of time and it can lower the GDP because less time is spent in productive activities (Shalom, 2004).
Too much watching of television is a bad idea. Some programs and shows can be very educational to all of us. However, some programs can be harmful not only to the general development of a child, but also to adults. Some movies too can be harmful to the kids. Most children acquire negative behaviors from what they watch on television. Parents should have a say in not only the amount of time their kids spend watching, but also on what program, show or movie their children watch. In conclusion, watching television has more disadvantages than its advantages. Parents should be there to control the amount of time their children spend on television. Adults too should be prudent enough to avoid spending too much time on television. Even though watching television can be important in numerous ways, it is not good when it is done for long hours. Spending too much time watching television is harmful because it is bad to our health, it feeds us with false information, it makes one dumb and it wastes one’s time.
- Judith, V. (2004). Television and Child Development: The Good and Bad Effects of Watching Television. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press
- Lawrence, E. (2005). Advertising to Children on TV: Content, Impact, and Regulation Princeton, NJ: Princeton University press
- Shalom, M. (2004). Children Learning from Educational Television: Seseme Street and Beyond Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.
