Harmful Effects of Television

It has been argued that the invention of the television has had many harmful

effects on our society. There are a wide range of complaints, including, but not limited

to, the corruption of youth because of explicit broadcasts, Obesity due to viewers rarely

leaving the couch, to the use of the television as practically a “baby sitter”.

While these may be valid arguments, I believe the fact of the matter is that it all

comes down to the parents, or parent. The parent(s) have control over what their children

can, or can’t watch. They may even choose to not have a television in their household at

all.

Being that I do not buy into the whole media frenzy that is the harmful effects of

television, I believe that television is very powerful medium of communication and

education. Although, thinking about it, the media can be a very powerful tool that if used

incorrectly, can have very harmful effects.

Television is one of the most useful forms of communication. Local,

international, and world news is readily available to people. We are always kept

informed of the weather, natural disasters, traffic, etc. This makes are daily lives a little

more easier. And in the case of natural disasters, televised fundraisers are aired to bring

relief to those affected.

In terms of education, television is very informative. Particularly in children’s

programming. Most popular of educational children’s programming is “Sesame Street”.

Since its debut in 1969, it has helped teach children the basics of counting, reading, etc.

There are entire channels devoted to educating people. Chief among these are The

Discovery Channel and The History Channel. Public programming especially places an

emphasis on education.

I believe that television programs that are created specifically for entertainment

are also beneficial. Violence on television has always been a target of the media but the