The Harmful Effects of

Watching Television
BY SOFO ARCHON

In a culture where most people have at least two TV sets in their

homes and are obsessed with watching television, it is almost
impossible to neglect pointing out the possible harmful effects
of watching too much television.
Television certainly has much to offer, and without a doubt is a
great innovation. But when it comes to relying on it, whether to

be informed or entertained, it can certainly affect people

negatively.
Here are the main harmful effects of watching television that
you should always keep in mind.

Television is bad for your health

Watching television means inactivity, and inactivity has been
linked with obesity and heart disease. Do you think it is just a
coincidence that in the West, where people are spending
enormous amounts of time watching television, obesity and
heart diseases in people of all ages are rapidly increasing?
More and more studies are being carried out on the harmful
health effects of watching television. A recent research study
conducted at the Harvard School of Public Health indicates that
watching too much television can significantly increase the risk
of developing obesity and type 2 diabetes. Not surprisingly,
another study carried out at the University of Rhode Island
found that prolonged television watching decreases viewers
sense of self-efficacy in maintaining personal health.

Television feeds you false

information
One of the most harmful effects of watching television is that
television appears to portray or report reality. In fact, it just
allows us to get a small glimpse of whats really going on. This
particularly happens when watching TV newscasts. When we
watch a 30 minutes newscast, we usually believe that what it is
showing us is all that there is to see. After all, if there was more

to see, wouldnt television show us more? Unfortunately most

people accept whatever television is feeding them, without ever
casting a doubt on its truthfulness.
One of the main reasons why we so readily believe what
television is showing us is the fact that we prefer ignorance
over knowledge because, as the saying goes, ignorance is bliss.
Searching to know the truth requires effort, and so we prefer to
let the evening news do all the search for us. In this way, we
dont need to do anything: no effort, nothing to worry about. We
choose the easy way, but by doing so, we also choose to accept a
distorted view of reality.

Television makes you dumb

Another amazingly harmful effect of watching television is the
fact it can hinder our ability to think. Having talking heads
continuously giving us quick information, opinion, analysis and
criticism for just about everything, allows us to stop using our
critical thinking. In this way, we can be easily misinformed and
manipulated.
Certainly there are a few programs on TV that are educational
and interesting, but the majority of television programs are
simply trash. And so we rarely find a program on TV that
requires us to think. Television programming is designed in
such a way so as to match our attention spam, and that is why
almost all programs are 30 to 60 minutes long. In addition,
television programs rarely dedicate the entire program to a
single topic. Hence, not only cannot television programs
provide any decent thought to stimulate discussion, but they
present information in such a way that we cannot digest it
properly. And so we can easily form opinions without allowing

the information to be first filtered through our mind, and while

we might think that we become more knowledgeable, in reality
we become dumb.

Television wastes your time

Life is short, but we choose to spend it watching television. Just
think of how many hours of our day we waste watching
television. Surveys reveal that people in the Western world
spend 5-10 hours a day watching television.
Instead of living our life to the fullest, we sit in front of a dead,
though entertaining device, which we have chosen as a
substitute for true living. Instead of going out to play football,
we are so obsessed with watching football games and admiring
our favorite sport players, as if they are some kind of heroes.
Instead of going to our kitchen and cook a healthy meal, we
prefer to sit in the sofa, watching special cooking shows where
people are savoring all kinds of delicious food, while we fill our
bodies with junk. Instead of going out to meet people, converse
and have fun, we choose to enclose ourselves within four walls
and be all alone, so as to watch with full attention adventure
movies, reality shows, and soap operas.
But I am asking you, is this living? A time will come when your
physical and mental energy will be dissipated, and you will
come to realize that you have not yet actually lived. But then it
will be too late, and you will be filled with resentment.
Now is your chance to live passionately, not passively.

The Good and Bad Effects of TV on Children

In: Raising Smart Kids Articles
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Photo courtesy of Ian Chase

It is hard to avoid television if you are a kid. People in the house are usually tuned in to TV
siblings as well as parents. In some homes, the television is perpetually on even without
anyone watching. It is common for parents and caregivers to use TV as a substitute babysitter.
Also, many parents buy videos that they think can make their kids smart. But how does
watching TV really affect children?
The bad news is, the majority of experts think that a TV/video-driven culture has bad effects on
kids and may prevent kids from being smart. They cite the following:

TV provides no educational benefits for a child under age 2. Worse, it steals time for
activities that actually develop her brain, like interacting with other people and playing.
A child learns a lot more efficiently from real interaction with people and things, rather
than things she sees on a video screen.

TV viewing takes away the time that your child needs to develop important skills
like language, creativity, motor, and social skills. These skills are developed in the kids
first two years (a critical time for brain development) through play, exploration, and
conversation. Your kids language skills, for example, do not improve by passively
listening to the TV. It is developed by interacting with people, when talking and listening
is used in the context of real life.

TV viewing numbs your kids mind as it prevents your child from exercising initiative,
being intellectually challenged, thinking analytically, and using his imagination.

TV viewing takes away time from reading and improving reading skills through practice
(Comstock, 1991). Kids watching cartoons and entertainment television during preschool years have poorer pre-reading skills at age 5 (Macbeth, 1996). Also, kids who
watch entertainment TV are also less likely to read books and other print media (Wright
& Huston, 1995).

According to Speech and language expert Dr. Sally Ward, 20 years of research show that
kids who are bombarded by background TV noise in their homes have trouble paying
attention to voices when there is also background noise.

Kids who watch a lot of TV have trouble paying attention to teachers because they are
accustomed to the fast-paced visual stimulation on TV. Kids who watch TV more than
they talk to their family have a difficult time adjusting from being visual learners to aural
learners (learning by listening). They also have shorter attention spans.

School kids who watch too much TV also tend to work less on their homework. When
doing homework with TV on the background, kids tend to retain less skill and
information. When they lose sleep because of TV, they become less alert during the day,
and this results in poor school performance.

A long-term study conducted by the Millennium Cohort Study and published in 2013
found that children who watched more than 3 hours of television, videos, or DVDs a day
had a higher chance of conduct problems, emotional symptoms and relationship
problems by age 7 than children who did not. Notably, they did not find the same
problem with children who played video games for the same amount of time.

TV exposes your kid to negative influences, and promotes negative behavior. TV shows
and commercials usually show violence, alcohol, drug use and sex in a positive light. The
mind of your kid is like clay. It forms early impressions on what it sees, and these early
impressions determine how he sees the world and affect his grown-up behavior. For
instance, twenty years of research has shown that children who are more exposed to
media violence behave more aggressively as kids and when they are older. They are
taught by TV that violence is the way to resolve conflict as when a TV hero beats up a
bad guy to subdue him.

Kids who watch too much TV are usually overweight, according to the American Medical
Association. Kids often snack on junk food while watching TV. They are also influenced
by commercials to consume unhealthy food. Also, they are not running, jumping, or
doing activities that burn calories and increase metabolism. Obese kids, unless they
change their habits, tend to be obese when they become adults. A recent study confirms
this finding, suggesting that even just an hour of TV is associated with childhood obesity.

Too much watching TV as a young adult, especially when combined with not much
exercise, may be linked to lower brain functioning even before one reaches middle age,
according to a 2015 sturdy from the Northern California Institute for Research and
Education.

Researchers from the University of Sydney report a link between total screen time and
retinal artery width in children. Kids with lots of screen time were found to have narrow
artery in their eyes, which may indicate heart risk.

A 2014 study published in the International Journal of Cardiology suggests that children
aged 2 to 10 who watch TV for more than two hours a day is 30% more likely to be at risk
for blood pressure compared to those who spend less time in front of TV. Lack of
physical activity increased the risk even more by 50%. The lead researcher Dr Augusto
Cesar de Moraes, from the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, warned that the condition can
cause cardiovascular problems later in life. The findings are consistent with an
earlier 2009 study.

TV watching also affects a childs health and athletic ability. The more television a child
watches, even in the first years of life, the more likely he is to be obese and less
muscularly fit, according to a study by the University of Montreal. Even though your kid
does not aspire to be a football star, his athletic abilities are important not only for
physical health, but predicting how physically active he will be as an adult.

Every hourly increase in daily television watching from two and a half years old is also
associated with bullying by classmates, and physical prowess at kindergarten, said
Professor Linda Pagani of the University of Montreal and the CHU Sainte-Justine
childrens hospital.

Some experts, however, believe that TV is not all that bad. They qualify though that viewing TV
can be good if it is done in moderation, and if the program being watched is selected:

Some TV shows can educate, inform and inspire. It can be more effective than books or
audiotapes in teaching your kid about processes like how a plant grows or how to bake a
cake.

Studies show that kids who watch educational and non-violent childrens shows do
better on reading and math tests than those who do not watch these programs.

Kids who watch informative and educational shows as preschoolers tend to watch more
informative and educational shows when they get older. They use TV effectively as a
complement to school learning. On the other hand, kids who watch more entertainment
program watch fewer informative programs as they get older (Macbeth, 1996).

Preschoolers who viewed educational programs tend to have higher grades, are less
aggressive and value their studies more when they reach high school, according to a
long-term study (Anderson, et. al, 2001).

Scientists from the University of Siena found that children experience a soothing,
painkilling effect by watching cartoons. So perhaps, a little entertainment TV can be a
source of relief to kids who are stressed or are in pain.

Finally, think about what your child could be doing if hes not watching TV. It would be
great if the alternative is to read a book, engage in outdoor play, or having an intelligent
talk with you. But if the alternative is simply for him to sit around and do nothing, whine
about being bored, or start a fight or a conflict, then letting your child watch TV is a
better option.

For more on how to make TV a more helpful rather than a harmful tool for making kids smart,
seetips on how TV can be good for your child or if you have a baby, see the effects of TV on baby.

Impact Of Technology On Children

Written on February 1, 2015 by My Essay Point in Technology 13 Comments
0

Todays modern life is surrounded with tech products. The technology has been
growing rapidly for quite some time, and has now become an important part of life.
The technology has its impact on people of all fields and ages. Yeah, it has impacts
on children as well.
As you know, everything has its positive and negative impacts. Same is the case
with the technologys impacts on children. For the proper growth of your children, it
is highly necessary for you to have knowledge of positive and negative impacts of
technology on them. Check them out below.

Impact of technology on children. Photo By David Young-Wolf

Positive Impacts of Technology on Children

Help in Education
The technology has been proven to be useful in education. Children can access the
web and get the detailed knowledge about any topic. The education games help
them to perform well in academics.
Competition Skills

All kids like to play video games. When playing such games with their
friends/relatives, they earn the competition skills. The competition skills that
children learn from the video games help them compete with others in the real
world.

Negative Impacts of Technology on

Children
Health Problems
The technology is causing many health issues in children. The surveys conducted
from time to time tell that due to increasing use of gadgets, children are sufering
from the health problems like back pain, weak eyesight etc. Due to less physical
activities, the fatness is common to see in todays children.
Social Relationship
Technological gadgets have posed a bad impact on social relationships. Children are
addicted to gadgets. They dont have time to sit with their parents and to spend
some good time with them. They prefer to connect with their friends and relatives
via text messaging, chatting etc., rather than meeting them actually. Means, they
are connected with others in the virtual world, but not in the real world.
Poor Academic Performance
Technology has been found to have its negative impact on academic performance
on most of children. There are many technological gadgets to which children are
addicted. They waste their valuable time on these silly gadgets without worrying
about the studies. This is resulting in their poor academic performance.
Negative Impact on Character
This is one of the biggest problems created by growing technology. Children are
future of our country, our world. The sad thing is that due to increasing technology,
children have been found going away from their moral values. Internet is working as
curse for childrens character. Rather than using Internet in productive manner,
children use it as source of adult content.
Negative Impact on Writing Skills
Writing is an art which every person must own. Technology has its negative efect
on writing skills of children. Standard English is not used in the text messaging,
chatting. While writing text messages, no one cares about the spelling, punctuation
and grammar. This is resulting in poor writing skills of children.

Well, it is quite clear that there are more bad impacts than the positive impacts of
technology on children. In fact, the positive or negative efects of any particular
thing depend on how we use it. By limiting the involvement of technology in
childrens life, we can easily bring an end to all negative impacts listed above.

Read more: http://myessaypoint.com/impact-of-technology-on-

Kids Spend Many Hours A

Day with Gadgets
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Our new generation is right to be called a

multimedia generation as they are all crazy for one gadget or the other, and some keep more than
one. They spend most hours of their day with iPods, handsets, TV, video games and other technology
gadgets.
According to a British survey, children from 9 to 12 of age love electronic gadget and they are addict to
it. They may spending 7 to 10 hours of the day with their gadget no matter it is TV, computer, mobile,
video game, multimedia device and any other technology toys. They seem eager to leave from school
to go home and get their fun back with gadgets.

This addiction of gadgets is deeply afecting the social and personal skills of
our kids. It is noticed that a youngster may be expert at texting but poor at real communication with
someone face-to-face. You may find a kid holding full grip on a computer game but not at any other

outdoor game. This is really a considerable issue attached with the future security of our young kids

that are addicts to gadgets.

Children who spend long hours staring on screens usually complain less concentration on studies and
missing out their essential sleep. It makes them peevish, grumpy, aggressive and they dont take
notice of anything going on around them until they finish. Gadgets are not only killing their social,
personal and creative skills but also leaving negative impacts on their health and emotions which are

also going to be attached with their favorite gadgets

and electronics only.

The excess use of electronics and gadgets should be and can be controlled by parents. They should fix
their hour for playing with gadgets. Kids of 9 to 12 age require 10 hours of sleep that are favorable to
their health. If they dont get it, it is harmful to their physical and mental health. For this purpose,
parents should adopt good strategies. In my opinion, it would not be a wrong strategy to ban gadgets
for young children.

The Negative Effects Electronics Have on Teens

Last Updated: May 16, 2015 | By Holly L. Roberts

Teenage boy texting on his cellphone in the mall. Photo Credit Picturenet/Blend Images/Getty Images

Children and teenagers spend an average of four hours a day just on television time, according to
the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. Add in computer time, time spent on the Internet or smart phone,
and video game playing, and it's easy to see how teens can spend a significant chunk of their
waking time plugged in. Electronics, while useful for communication, schoolwork and entertainment,
can cause problems if they're overused.

Increased Obesity Risk

Too much screen time can promote a sedentary lifestyle -- one of the major contributing factors to obesity and
a major risk factor for heart disease, according to the Texas Heart Institute. As many as 33 percent of teens are
obese, according to estimates by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry published by the
Texas Heart Institute. Obese teens are more likely to grow up to become obese adults, giving them an
increased risk for chronic health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes and arthritis. Trading even just 30
minutes of electronics time per day for physical activity can help significantly reduce these risks.

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Increased Aggression
Teens whose electronic time includes violent television and video games may also experience increased
aggression, according to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. Teens who spend a significant amount of time
playing violent video games or watching violent television shows are more likely to fight with their peers,
argue with their teachers and generally engage in more aggressive behaviors.

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Sleep Problems
Electronics in your teenager's bedroom can negatively affect his normal sleep cycle. Late-night texts, phone
calls and emails can keep your teen from sleeping soundly even if he's not reading or answering them, explains

TeensHealth.org, an online parenting and health information resource maintained by the Nemours Foundation.
Encourage your teen to turn his computer and phone off at bedtime to eliminate sleep-disrupting updates.

Potential Mental Health Problems

Spending too much time playing video games can increase depression in teens who have a predisposition to
social or mental health problems, notes researcher Douglas A. Gentile, an associate professor of psychology at
Iowa State University who studies the link between video games and depression, in a January 18, 2011 article
in "The New York Times." According to Gentile, teens with mental health issues may turn to video games for
relief, but then become addicted to playing, causing social, academic and emotional problems that may last
well into adulthood. In some cases, teens become so addicted to video games that they can become isolated
and depressed. Parents can help by monitoring game time and limiting it where appropriate, advises Gentile.

9 Effects of Modern Gadgets on Children

Development
Technology and kids today is a sight you often see. A toddler holding a tablet, an infant with an
iphone in her mouth, whats new? At one point, parents have great regard over gadgets as a way to
pacify their children and as an entertaining and educational tool. But later on, it becomes an
alarming sight.

Photo by Wayan Vota via Flickr, Creative Commons

Apparently, a research from Common Sense Media revealed the exceptional increase of children
using gadgets such as smartphones and tablets have increased in just two years. From 38% in
2011, the biannual survey revealed that children below eight year old using mobile devices have
gone up to 72% in 2013. Conducted on American parents themselves, the survey further showed the
increase of toddlers gadget exposure from 10% to 38%. With this, the American Academy of
Pediatrics discourage the tech use for children under the age of two saying that it changes the
nature of childhood.
On the same year, the University of Wisconsin showed that toddlers are likely to respond better to
video screens that initiates interaction, thus the pacifying effect of tablets to children. Common

Sense Media founder Jim Seyer explains that these digital gadgets are changing the entire
childhood lifestyle, even replacing TVs, toys, playgrounds, and storybooks. One-year-olds are now
walking up to TV screens and swiping them because they think they are tablets, he said. They are
becoming a part of childhood in ways that were almost inconceivable before.
Kaiser Family Foundation reports that on average, children are spending almost seven and a half
hours staring at screens. Moreover, children are now learning how to use gadgets first even before
they could walk or even tie their shoe lace. Most parents who give in to their childrens whims cant
see the effects but governments and experts are calling on families to reduce their toddlers
exposure to these gadgets. What are the effects of modern gadgets on children? Here are ten
reasons why modern gadgets impede children development:
1. Drastic Brain Development
During the toddler years, the brain triples in size and continues to develop until adult years. Studies
have shown that too much gadgets may negatively affect a childs brain on its functioning, and may
even cause attention deficit, cognitive delays, impaired learning, increased impulsivity, and
decreased ability to self-regulation. Smart Parenting advises parents to sing, read, and talk to their
children than letting them play or watch TV at home.

Photo by Ben McLeod via Flickr, Creative Commons

2. Oh no! Obesity
Children who rely their playing time in front of screens rather than outside in the playgrounds do not
burn the calories they take in. One in three U.S. children is obese, which may lead to complications
such as diabetes, heart attack, and stroke. Parents must encourage their kids to play more. They
must understand that there are many benefits of playing including having their children walk, run,
jump and get the exercise they need. Children get fit at the playgrounds and build relationships. The
Parents Zone encourages parents to expose their kids more into physical activity then inculcate
technology in the later years of their kids for a healthier lifestyle as they grow.
3. Violence
Most parents have noticed that their kids learn to be aggressive due to long hours of playing games
in their tablets. Tantrums are the most common form of aggressiveness among toddlers. As they
grow older, children who are addicted to computer games are more likely to confront and disobey
their elders. So as early as today, instead of relying on tablets to quiet down your little dynamo, opt
for coloring books or balls. Take charge of your child today and know more about their behavioral
changes with Janet Lehman.
4. Radiation Exposure

According to the 2011 report of the World Health Organization, cellphones and other wireless
devices are considered category 2B risk because of their radiation emission. In December 2013, Dr.
Anthony Miller from the University of Torontos School of Public Health revealed that radio frequency
exposure is clearly a threat to children. Healthy Child Healthy World acknowledges this rising
radiation issue among children and gives tips on protecting your child from these harmful gadgets.
5. Reduced Interaction
By playing on tablets, they could easily play on their own. In an article published in The New York
Times, Dr. Gary Small, author of iBrain:Surviving the Technological Alteration of the Modern Mind
and director if the Longevity Center at the University of California says that if children spend too
much time on technology and less time with people, it hinders interaction and disrupts the normal
communication skill development on children. In a family set-up, toddlers often fail to improve on
their communication with their parents since they surround themselves with inanimate objects.
Others copy and inherit the skill of talking from TV but fail when socializing with other people.

Photo by Mike Renlund via Flickr, Creative Commons

6. Sleep Deprivation
Children who get addicted to playing on their phones or tablets miss out on the needed rest. On
other occasions, playing on their tablets becomes their sleeping pill. Without it, they become grumpy
and aggressive. The Sleep Lady explains signs whether your toddler is suffering sleep deprivation
and tips that you could do to help your toddler have a good nights sleep.
7. No Exposure To Nature
Gadgets are killing the development of a child. Instead of getting out and learning the ways of the
world, running and socializing with other kids, they would rather stay at home and play on their
computer. Some parents who are overprotective find technology as helpful since they know that the
safety of their child at home is secured. However, they fail to realize that the child is estranged from
the natural world of plants, animals, lakes, and sky. Toddlers should be able to throw a ball, hop,
skip, jump, run, call a friend by names, among others. Learn more about toddler milestones from
Babycentre. This is one of the benefits of playing outside in playgrounds, they learn a lot from
interaction, socialization, natures beauty, and life itself.
8. Damaged Eyesight
Prolonged exposure at computer screens strains the eyes. Experts say that good eyesight largely
depends upon staring at things of varying distances. Research shows that children who are addicted
to playing computer games are more likely to develop eye problems as they grow. Vision shares
more insight on how computer gaming affects the eyes of children.

9. Addiction
If parents continue to feed the whims of their children, they are allowing addiction to grow. Parents
must expose their children to the rest of the world rather than leaving them at home with their
gadgets. WebMD explains how computers and gadgets are addictive. Instead of getting them
addicted to such technologies, they should be exposed to activities that promote mental, physical,
and emotional development.

Photo by Philippe Put via Flickr, Creative Commons

Despite numerous studies revealing the negative effects of modern gadgets on children, some
experts are still positive about the rise of technology. University of Wisconsin assistant professor,
Heather Kirkorian says that touch screens could hold educational potential for toddlers. Being an
expert on child development, "Kids who are interacting with the screen get better much faster, make
fewer mistakes and learn faster. But we're not turning them into geniuses, just helping them get a
little more information, she explains.
Technology should be encouraged and yet moderated. It is a new generation and kids should get the
right amount of knowledge over such advancements. However, parents must perform their
responsibility of protecting their child. While there is still time, introduce a new habit of playing
outdoors and interesting games with kids of his age. Visit PlaygroundEquipment.com and get helpful
information on educational toys for your childs development.