Television's Effect On American Culture

Television, it was once thought, would never become a contender for radio because the American family just didn’t have time to sit with their eyes glued to a screen. However, family life changed drastically in the late 1940’s and people had plenty of time to sit, glued, to shows like The Ed Sullivan Show, Candid Camera and Howdy Doody." Fast forward a few decades and we meet Mike Teavee, a Willy Wonka protagonist, obsessed with the tube. Mike’s parents come to like the idea of Mike watching TV because they can keep track of him and just put food next to the TV. Sadly, this portrayal has become all to real in the American culture as generation after generation become addicted to their screens. Television has been imbedded into almost
every country around the world and is known for having a profound phycological effect on children. America, to our detriment, watches more TV and has less restrictions on television viewing than any other country, which can be dangerous to unsupervised children or parents who are ignorant of theses dangers. This essay will compare America to other cultures and discuss the dangers of television to children and how parents can help to protect their children from these dangers.