TV makes people into zombies. You ever watch someone watch television? It’s a horror. They look like humans but turned off. Even watch someone watch a sitcom. They don’t laugh. They just stare. I used to watch my little brother watch television. One time I took video of him watching television and showed it to him.
Even with my own kids, sometimes when I wake them up in the morning my wife may have left on the television news so she could get the traffic report, and the moment they walk into the room they’re zombified. They literally lose all capability of focusing or even moving. It truly is almost soul sucking. My little kids were transfixed the traffic report or the weather so I’d turn it off.
I’m not against it completely. The show “Lost” was great fun and there’s a few other shows I enjoy. But television has become the default setting in too many homes. They come in the house and the television goes on. And many of those same people complain that kids get too much homework.
Rich Lowry writes on how awful the television addiction has become.
The University of Michigan Health System reports that kids ages two to five spend on average 32 hours a week in front of a TV. Among 8- to 18-year-olds, 71 percent have a TV in their bedroom (and they spend on average 1.5 hours a day more watching TV than kids without a TV in the bedroom)…
Watching TV is worse than a mindless activity, since mere mindlessness needn’t be harmful. “Excessive TV viewing can contribute to poor grades, sleep problems, behavior problems, obesity, and risky behavior,” according to the University of Michigan.
Berger cites a 2010 study from Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine that found that among toddlers, “every additional hour of television exposure” eventually means decreases in “classroom engagement . . . math achievement . . . time spent doing weekend physical activity. . . . and activities involving physical effort,” and increases in “victimization by classmates . . . consumption scores for soft drinks and snacks . . . and body mass index.” The American Academy of Pediatricians recommends that kids two and younger avoid TV — and everything else on a screen — altogether.
I’m not a “throw the set out” guy. I’m really not but 32 hours a week?! 32? That means kids are watching television like it’s their job.
When’s conversation time? When’s playing time? When’s reading time (hahahahaha)?
And let’s not pretend there’s a whole lot of good moral examples going on in television land. As Christians, we have a responsibility to counter this prevailing culture. And soaking our kids in it 32 hours a week doesn’t seem like a recipe for success.
July 11, 2011 at 2:39 pm
We actually got rid of programming almost 2 years ago. All we have is a monitor and a combo DVD/VCR (very retro). It was the best thing we ever did. Now our kids watch only the pre-approved movies that we buy or check out from the library, and most of the time they will opt to just do something else. A super bonus is NO MORE COMMERCIALS!!!
They read more, they interact better with us and each other, and I think we are more cohesive as a family. If you are on a budget and want to improve family life, I highly recommend cutting cable/satellite and programming in general for that matter. Besides, it's really funny to get the reaction of people trying to sell you these services when you say, "we don't have it and we don't want it." They look at you as if you had two heads.
July 11, 2011 at 4:00 pm
We don't even have a TV on our first floor~ Netflix has replaced typical daily TV programming, and I can tell you that I don't miss it at all! Another aspect of kids watching TV is all the commercials they are exposed to. I mean, who really needs a walking talking pooping baby doll anyway?
July 11, 2011 at 4:23 pm
Sometimes I would think for my children. Critique the mess. Introduce them to the techniques of disentanglement from the boob tube. "Is this worth two hours of your life?" "You can write BETTER than that." Name six classical movies above reproach and entertaining. Oh, they are out there. These poor children are trying to keep up and not be left out of the loop. And it is a hellish and vicious cycle. And impossible. Make the boob tube give back our children's souls. To Kill a Mockingbird, My Fair Lady, An Affair to Remember, Charade, Moby Dick, Birds and horror of horrors Psycho, Janet Curtis said she could never take a shower after making the movie. Point out the sin in every circumstance and the virtue to match. It works, not as good as the Baltimore Catechism, but it works.
Mary De Voe
July 11, 2011 at 5:02 pm
I know what you mean. Nowadays, I try to avoid the TV except when a classic movie I haven't seen is on or DC United is playing a televised game (I have a cousin who plays on the team). But my mother, who I care for, runs the dang thing all the live-long day for background noise; occasionally, when I wander out into the living room, I'll take one look and turn into the drooling undead. Must … watch … NCIS … Kate killed … Jenny dead ….
July 11, 2011 at 6:48 pm
They look like humans but turned off. …. They just stare.
Hope you never see me reading. ^.^
I guess my family is just odd– we almost never watch things in silence. (It doesn't help that both Elf and I are familiar with narrative patterns, so 90% of the time we can guess what's going to happen in the last ten minutes. NCIS is about the only show that consistently avoids that in the eps we've seen, so we talk about how accurate or inaccurate they are!)
To make it "worse," from those that just want to watch a show in peace, I have a horrible time focusing on a show unless it's got some sort of information– either a new and not by-the-numbers story with good interaction, data I wasn't already familiar with, etc. Most of the time the news is too dull because it keeps using narratives– hear the first two minutes of a ten minute section and you'll usually be able to tell what the end will be.
Netflix, a few docushows on Hulu (mostly of the Coast to Coast AM type) and random attempts to find something worth watching on broadcast TV. (Thus far: one animal show early Sat morning that isn't too inaccurate; Kit enjoys animals. And about ten minutes of some show on public broadcasting that had two guys who looked like they were paid to work their upper body, wearing tight shirts, making sushi. I nearly died laughing.) Netflix gives us mostly anime, edutainment (mythbusters!) and various levels of documentary. (Does "Man vs Food" count?)
My sister has the TV on for noise all the time– mostly those horrible "Judge" shows. I prefer the radio.
July 11, 2011 at 7:54 pm
Second with Mary DeVoe. Teach kids skills for judging quality and how to analyze the sales tactics. And, tv is not synonymous with downtime. Pick and choose and go with off as default. Great post!
July 11, 2011 at 9:11 pm
My husband and I both agree that TV is a negative influence and we watch almost none. We won't be getting cable when we move in a few months. But here's a question: My husband (and even my son, though he's only 2), really enjoy watching sports. What are the best solutions people have found for that? Too bad they don't make a service that is commercial-free and only transmits sports events — or do they??
July 11, 2011 at 9:46 pm
"Too bad they don't make a service that is commercial-free and only transmits sports events — or do they??" Use Tivo or another DVR for recording. We often will begin recording a show and then watch 15/20 minutes in so as to fast forward during commercials.
My house rules…Tivo, Netflix, Hulu…or similar. No commercials and be choosey in what you watch (i.e. no junk food, no junk TV). The absolute maximum for one day should be no longer than a 2 hour movie; no more than 14 hours per week.
July 12, 2011 at 1:40 am
We've been watching more than that since summer vacation started *blushes with shame*…
This week (yeah, I know its Monday. Give me a break!!) I started a new system. For every hour of manual labor that my boys (aged 7,6,and 5) give me, I allow them one hour of a movie. Their movies are usually 90 mins long. So they have to work for 2 hours to watch 1 movie. It worked well. Today…
I think I'm going to try it out for the rest of the summer…
And I don't have cable either. They've been watching Netflix "watch instantly"'s and old movies we have lying around…:( I can't believe I'm contributing to American mindlessness…Ugh…
July 12, 2011 at 3:24 am
My husband works for a cable company so we have hundreds of channels streaming daily, but we watch about three. My son voluntarily gave up TV for Lent and hasn't gone back. We watch some classic movies, and history channel programs, but mostly the problem is me. I watch three hours of news while making dinner and folding clothes. I figure it's time well spent, but maybe not… thanks for the zombie insight. I may have to change my ways.
July 12, 2011 at 10:31 am
This was a common theme in the edgy TV program, Max Headroom. It also shows up as a theme in Doctor Who. You think the British might know something we don't?
July 12, 2011 at 3:13 pm
*mutters something rude about the new Dr. Who universe and their ability to know anything*
It's really not a new observation– what was the 70s-80s phrase that got applied to TV constantly when I was a kid? "Turn on, tune in, and drop out"?
That said, just because it's not new doesn't mean it's not a good thing to talk about and point out– especially for the positive reinforcement for those of us who don't have programming packages!
July 13, 2011 at 3:19 am
FWIW, we threw out the TV when the kids were very small. Among other blessings, it was the best financial decsion I ever made.
When the local school district gave them their pre-kindergarten assessment-two years apart and with different psychologists, they commented on their extraordinarily long attention spans.
We had many delightful family evenings together reading out loud the classics and the lives of the saints.
We accidentally created the perfect atmosphere for study. What else was there to do at our house? My daughter became a National Merit Finalist. Both son and daughter got merit scholarships to college.
At ages 31 and 33 they both fervently practice the faith.
Do yourself, your kids, the Church and the world a big favor- haul it out to the curb.
It will not mean the loss of wisdom, of joy, of blessing, of answered prayers, or a happy family life- that much is certain.