Preview

Harmful Effects of Watching Television

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
487 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Harmful Effects of Watching Television
Harmful Effects of Watching Television

In a recent cartoon, one character said to another, “When you think of the awesome power of television to educate, aren’t you glad it doesn’t?” It’s true that television has the power to educate and to entertain, but unfortunately, these benefits are outweighed by the harm it does to dedicated viewers. Television is harmful because it creates passivity, discourages communication and presents a false picture of reality. Television causes viewers to be passive. One of the many negative effects of watching television is that it makes viewers lazy. Nowadays, people of all kinds spend so much time watching television that is takes up most of their lives. Extrapolation of current viewing data (Nielsen Media Research, Written Communication, February 1997) reveals that, between the ages of 2 and 17 years, US children spend an average of more than 3 years of their waking lives watching television. In addition television, in most cases, is the reason why people procrastinate. School children delay doing their work because they are too busy watching cartoons on Disney Channel. Even adults are too absorbed in watching the television that they ignore their work duties. All in all, this concludes watching television causes passivity.

People tend to avoid awkwardness by turning the television on. An occasion when one meets a perfect stranger, they start exchanging their pleasantries to get familiar with each other. However, if they couldn’t find any similarities between them after the exhausting conversation, the embarrassment fills the room up which automatically leads to watching television, relieving them. Additionally, it’s often rude to keep asking someone who is concentrating on the television. It will cut off the colloquy of the show and even sometimes intrude into the climax which annoys the viewers. Thus, television discourages smooth conversation.
It is without a doubt that watching television

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Trouble with Television is an Article that was written by Robert Macneil. In his Article he believes that television harms society. In the Article the author states that the main trouble with television is that it discourages concentration. Macneil believes that television requires to apply zero efforts, therefore resulting in zero concentration. If you don’t apply yourself and concentration, you will not be successful.…

    • 190 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Tv Is Bad for You

    • 588 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Many people around the world spend tireless hour staring at the TV screen every single day. TV is becoming like a drug, people are addicted to it! TV’s can expose to us the weather forecast, sports and global events. TV’s also can give quality entertainment, education programs and something to look forward to after a harsh day. Though there are advantages, there are also many more disadvantages to watching TV.…

    • 588 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Dr. Gohl article “Debilitating Effects of TV on Children” brings to light the long and short term negative effects that too much television have on children, which spans into adulthood. His purpose of this article is to educate parents on the dangers of television and highlight the facts based on Research to support his Argument.…

    • 548 Words
    • 16 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The main arguments that the author is making are:TV can be very detrimental to the mental development of children and teenagers. And that it should only be allowed in moderation. Not “whenever they want” and “as much as they want.” The main purpose of this article is: To show that Americans watch way too much TV and are raising their children in the same manner. Oblivious to its negative effects on their child 's development.…

    • 304 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The main conclusion in this article is that TV really doesn’t make your life any better and to limit TV time with children and adolescents, or better yet, turn the TV off and go outside! The main assumptions underlying the author’s thinking is that TV causes health problems, lower grades, academic failure, negative attitudes towards school and teenage pregnancy.…

    • 529 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The beliefs of television have powerful influences on the United States’ culture. It is used as a purpose for entertaining oneself or passing time for most American adults and children. Some people use television as a media source to know what is happening in the local area and around the world. A major belief for many Americans is that television is the main object in the typical American home. We all face our furniture towards the television and act like it is a shrine by placing expensive things around it. We believe that bigger is better and this all reflects in our social class. We spend many hours per week in front of it gazing at it and listening to its content. For most people it is addictive and distractive, yet most homes have at least one television.…

    • 629 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The main purpose of the article “The Debilitating Effects of TV on Children” By Dr. John M Grohol, is that the more time children spend watching television, the more harmful it is. It is not only detrimental to a child’s education, but also socially and medically. Dr. Grohol believes that despite the negative effects television has on children, parents continue to allow children to watch way too much.…

    • 474 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Having the television right in front of us leaves us with no other choice than to watch it. The moment we decide to turn the TV on and select a channel, we simply shut our brain down. For instance, “You no more challenge your mind by watching these intelligent shows than you challenge your body watching Monday Night Football” (Steven Johnson). Once we are in front of the television, all we can think of is, well, nothing. Most people are so caught up with the show that they don’t even realize the real situations surrounding them. We often tend to use television as a probe to escape reality.…

    • 623 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    In the United States, most television viewing is done alone. People devote more time to watching television than they do talking with their spouse or playing with their children and one third to one half of viewing is done in isolation. American teenagers watch less than 5% in the company of their parents (McDonald 71).…

    • 1661 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Americans way of life has become entangled with television that an entire new approach of acting has been created. Television has been present since the 1950’s, and has only been growing ever sense. It did not take long for the television industry to branch out and take full advantage of this technology’s potential. With the advancement in programming and increased financial support, the world and its marketplaces were brought into the living rooms of viewers. With this, society became exposed to commercial marketing, situation comedies and drama, sporting events, music and theatre, game and talk shows and world news. Television is one of the main sources of entertainment, and is a continuous presence in most Americans' lives. In, “Television Addiction Is No Mere Metaphor” Robert Kubey and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi go on to say, “how easily organisms can be harmed by that which they desire.” (123) The impact of television effects the way American people live and act in their environment, however having and watching television keeps in touch with the outside world through the information it provides across the television with programs such as news as well as educative programs.…

    • 945 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Tv as a Shaper

    • 1300 Words
    • 6 Pages

    I agree that television shows influences our behaviors even without our knowledge of it. Although television seems like a great thing to have, it has many drawbacks. Television can have negative impacts on people, especially kids. People learn new skills by observing, then utilizing it, such as when we were kids and learn to walk by seeing our family walking around or learning a new subject in school. Therefore, when watching television it may influence our fundamental social dispositions; no matter if it is good or bad. Almost ninety nice percent of households possess one television. Television is today’s source of news, stories, legends, and characters from previous centuries; the reason why it is so influential. However, only “0.7 percent is used for public service announcements and news”(Sex, violence, profanity...). The other 97.3 % consists of television shows with violence, crime, advertisements and mainstream blandness. Many studies and research has been done to demonstrate that heavy television viewing may lead to serious health consequences. Television is great for entertainment but has grown into a major problem.…

    • 1300 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    I would make the above facts comprehensible to the readers by some illustrations. Television, for instant, is gift of technology. But television has some negative influence on a person’s life. Television makes viewers passive. TV discourages communication. Families watching TV do very little talking except for brief exchanges during commercials. In this way TV weakens relationships by reducing opportunities for communication. Worst of all TV presents a false picture of reality that leaves viewers frustrated because they do not have the beauty or wealth of the characters on TV. The material possessions on TV shows and commercials contribute to the false image of reality. From their modest apartments, many viewers daily tune in to the upper- middle -class world that TV glorifies. When a person watches TV his mind goes into a hypnotic trance. In other words, TV makes us lose touch with reality.…

    • 734 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Effects of Tv on Children

    • 939 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Joe is sitting in school watching the clock. The teacher is talking to the class but Joe just can't wait to get home. When the bell finally rings, he runs out of the classroom all the way home. After getting home, he runs to turn on the TV. Having nothing more exciting to do, Joe will sit in front of the television keeping him from doing his homework until his mom calls him for dinner. This is an all to familiar in many American homes today. What many people don't realize are the problems that can develop from young children watching too much TV. Many arising problems are resulting from this concern. When a young child with a maturing brain sits in front of the TV for several hours every day, it can instigate loss of creativity, impatience, and violence further along down the road.…

    • 939 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    TV: Harmful Entertainment

    • 2699 Words
    • 11 Pages

    Television viewing is a major activity and therefore has a massive influence on all its viewers- children and adolescents especially. Children in the United States watch an average of four hours of television a day. By the time of high school graduation, they will have spent more time watching television than they have in the classroom. Time spent watching television takes away from important activities such as reading, school work, playing, exercise, family interaction, and social development. Just how big a presence is TV in kids' lives? TV viewing among kids is at an eight-year high. On average, children ages 2-5 spend 32 hours a week in front of a TV—watching television, DVDs, DVR and videos, and using a game console. Kids ages 6-11 spend about 28 hours a week in front of the TV 41 percent of TV-viewing is now online, time-shifted, or mobile, making its influence even more prevalent and accessible for anytime, anywhere.…

    • 2699 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    In this new era of science and technology, we have incorporated technology into our everyday lives. In fact, we cannot live without electrical appliances that we call necessities and the television is one of them.Much has changed since the first television was invented - from black and white to colour televisions. For some, the television is a window to the modern world. By viewing the programmes that are aired on television, we can gain a lot of information and knowledge. Programmes like the National Geographic and Discovery can be used as an educational tool in schools and at home to teach our younger generation to love and protect our world. Besides that, television programmes can transport us around the world. We do not even have to leave that comfortable couch at home.After a hard day's work, most of us would be too exhausted to indulge in recreational activities. Television programmes can bring pleasure and fun into a viewer's boring life of all work and no play. We can also release our stress and pressure by watching television programmes such as cartoons and comedies. The television is also an advertising tool. Many of us come to know of new products that are in the market by watching television. Nevertheless, we must be wise when choosing a television programme. Some programmes that are aired may be unsuitable for general viewing as they may contain too much violence and bloodshed. Children who are under eighteen might be misled by these programme as they are easily influenced at this tender age. Many crimes that are committed by juveniles are believed to be caused by their excessive viewing of violent movies. Teenagers could get addicted to television viewing once they start using the television to play video games. As the result of that, they might neglect their studies and soon might be knocking on failure's door. Any couch potato can tell you that their eyes hurt after viewing television programmes…

    • 768 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays