The Television Project is an educational organization. We help parents understand how television affects their families and community, and propose alternatives that foster positive emotional, cognitive, and spiritual development within families and communities. Consider the following information: 98% of American households have at least one TV set. On average, children aged 2-5 watch 14 hours of network television, per week. Television viewing increases aggressive behavior. Children imitate what they see. Children under the age of 5 cannot separate fact from fantasy. 66% of Americans eat dinner while watching television. When shopping with a parent, on average, children request a brand-named item 13-18 times. Now how many TV's are in your home? How many hours a day do you watch TV? What do you do when you lose electricity & can't watch TV?
I'm Not planning on having children but if I were I would limit the time they would spend watching tv. I regret how much I used to watch it when I was little, so many hours wasted that I could have actually been learning something useful! Yeah, there are some well-written funny shows to watch when you wanna relax but there is also so much crap on there that I wouldn't want my kids to watching, and its sad cause, as the years go by it'll only get worse!
Mr. Roemer's Fifth Grade Class -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No TV Week - The Bottom Line -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The bottom line is this - either we use television correctly or it uses us. It’s easy to get into the habit of turning on the tube when we get home and leaving it on until we go to sleep. It’s easier still to use TV as a baby-sitter when we’re stressed out. And it’s very easy at the end of a long day to turn on some mindless situation comedy and veg-out. But as we all know, the easy way out often complicates our lives in the long run. We are experiencing a crisis among many of our nation’s young people. Violence is epidemic. Young people are having trouble paying attention in class; they are learning disrespect at earlier and earlier ages. At least some of the blame has to be given to television and the way we have been using it for the past 30 years. The easy way may not have been the best way. Hopefully, all schools and parents will begin teaching their children responsible ways to use the electronic media, just as we have always taught children how to safely cross the street. Much like the automobile, television has genuinely enriched our lives. But, much like the automobile, if we don’t learn how to use it properly somebody could get hurt.
Interesting topic.... I took a Mass Communications Psych class in college. We did the one week without tv as an assignment. It was quite difficult not to watch tv. I ended up getting a hell of a lot more done that week. They have proven thru research that tv does UP aggression . . .
We have reconstructed the Tower of Babel, and it is a television antenna: a thousand voices producing a daily parody of democracy, in which everyone's opinion is afforded equal weight regardless of substance or merit. -Ted Koppel TV is the single most significant factor contributing to violence in America. -Ted Turner I really didn't like TV-Turnoff Week except I did notice that my grades went up and I was in a good mood all week. -Drew Henderson, 2nd grader, Donora, Pennsylvania I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book. -Groucho Marx Our family has been TV-free for seven to eight years... Now you couldn't GIVE me a TV. -Joe Dolan In many families the television seems to substitute, rather than facilitate dialogue among people. A type of 'fast' in this area could also be healthy. -Pope John Paul II during a speech calling for a 40-day TV-Turnoff Television is a chewing gum for the eyes. -Frank Lloyd Wright I promoted National TV-Turnoff Week in our parent newsletter. At the end of the week, a woman called me to say it had been a great opportunity to spend more time with her daughter. She had previously thought she needed TV as a baby-sitter and was delighted to learn that her 4-year-old could help with daily household tasks such as setting the table, folding laundry, etc. -Anne Campbell, Portland, Oregon Given our national television habit, it is no surprise that we are raising the most sedentary and most overweight generation of youngsters in American history. As they grow, these children will run increased risks of heart disease, diabetes, and other health problems -- unless they turn off the tube and become physically active. -US Surgeon General David Satcher, M.D., Ph.D. Most parents loved the peacefulness and commented on more creative play time, time to talk, more time to read, less arguing and were generally appreciative that teachers pushed them to try this experiment. -Linnea Brecuier, Moorpark, California The remarkable thing about television is that it permits several million people to laugh at the same joke and still feel lonely. -T.S. Eliot My brother and I participated in National TV-Turnoff Week, and while he would probably hate me for saying this because he loves TV, when my brother isn't watching TV all the time, he's a lot more fun to be around. We actually hung out together and just talked, something we had not done in a long time. --Beth Lubozhiski, 7th grader, Minneapolis, Minnesota The one function TV news performs very well is that when there is no news we give it to you with the same emphasis as if there were. -David Brinkley Television is no substitute for a parent. It doesn’t help develop language skills; it’s simply background noise. -First Lady Laura Bush
I honestly don't believe TV is inherently a bad thing. Merely that people misuse/overuse it. There is potential for education, and yeah it's just mindless fun and escapism. That allow these days? As for it being the biggest cause of violence. Err yeah how do you explain all the wars etc that occured prior to the invention of television? That is mere human nature, not pleasant but there you go. I suggest people work at a resolution rather than just finding a scape goat. *Considering how long a week is, 14 hours isn't that long. Most cartoons are roughly half an hour, so that's about four a day. Yeah that'd be easy to clock up whilst leaving plenty of time to do other things. *Hmm maybe so, depends what you watch. As a child my fave show involved explosions and at least one shooting/death per episode (of puppets, it was Captain Scarlet). Yet I never have been violent/aggressive (as a rule). My parents instilled good moral values. *Small children have trouble telling fact and fiction apart regardless of their influences. Books, stories, the cult of santa etc are part of that but those aren't considered corrupting. *Yeah most people do here too. That's why it's prime time ergo the good shows are on. We can still have conversations, often about the programs. It isn't the only time people ever interact with each other. *Only that many ... hmm yeah they get exposed to that everywhere (billboards, other kids etc). I no doubt did that too, my parents just said no. Big deal. In answer to your questions... Four Can't honestly say some days I watch a fair bit, then go for days without any. It's mainly for DVDs/movies though. Read, talk to my family etc. Wouldn't care about the TV, but no internet/computer would hit hard. I don't watch a lot of TV, but would never outright give it up. Can't see the problem. It gave me a lot of pleasure as child, and inspired me to write stories. Without that initial interest and passion (which incidentally I still have) then perhaps I wouldn't have been so motivated to become a writer.
