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Health Effects of Television Promotes laziness and overeating, especially fatty foods, leading to obesity. Fat children grow up into fat adults. Obesity can cause diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and early death. Late night television watching, or very stimulating or scary programs in the daytime, can cause reduced and poor sleep. Poor and insufficient sleep leads to poor school performance, depression, and poor self esteem.
View from the other side The television is both a useful and a dangerous object. TV helps in keeping aware about the news, the things going on, the weather, etc. One or two cartoons a day will do no harm. Listening to songs will keep the mood light. Channels like Discovery and National Geographic give useful details about nature and endangered species. There is a tradition of the family sitting together watching the movie at night while sharing popcorn.  Thus it helps in keeping the family together. Mihir, age 10½ years.
Not just obesity Television doesn't just promote obesity -- it also causes eating disorders in adolescent and teenage girls.  Watching the superthin models and actresses has a known impact on young girls' psyche. In Fiji, television was introduced in 1995, and the only channel showed programs of American, British, and Australian origin.  Girls who watched television were 50% more likely than others to see themselves as fat.  Symptoms of eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia have increased five fold since then.

Television and Children

Yes, it  is  a problem.

For two decades now, the issue of television viewing and its effects on our children's bodies and minds has been hotly debated.  Much research has been conducted, and now we know.

How much of a problem is it?

Children in America (well, that's where most of the research has been done) watch an average of three hours of television programs a day.  This is apart from other uses of the television set, like videotapes and games.  It is estimated that children spend about the same number of hours before the television as at school.  So much time spent with television promotes sloth, obesity, poor school performance, and poor activity and fitness.  It also reduces social interaction, both within the family and with friends.

Television viewing, especially in the evening is a cause of sleep disturbance, like bedtime resistance, anxiety, sleep onset delay, and reduced sleep duration.  A television set in the child's bedroom contributes heavily.

Frequent exposure to violence in television programs has been repeatedly found to be linked to real life aggressive behavior among children.  Most programs that children watch, including cartoons, contain violence.  Older children and adolescents often watch music videos, which show weapon carrying, alcoholic drinks, smoking, and drug abuse quite often.

There is other content on television, of course, like news, information, education, and general knowledge.  Some programs teach children about the world around us, friendship, cooperation, and even school subjects.  These programs are an oasis of relief in a world full of violence, sexuality, and disguised advertisements for cigarettes and alcoholic drinks.

What can we do?

• Watch television with the child.  Presence of a parent inhibits the watching of certain programs.  Besides, we can switch channels if the content gets unsuitable for children.
• Discuss the content with the children afterwards.  This helps them draw the right conclusions.
• Restrict the television watching to an hour or two each day.  Encourage the child to select informational and educative programs.
• Be knowledgeable about the effects of television on children, including violent/aggressive behavior, poor body concept and self image, early sexual activity, and substance abuse (alcohol and drugs).  Forewarned is forearmed.
• Encourage reading, sports, hobbies, volunteer activities, and other pastimes.
• Serve as good role models for our children by not watching too much television ourselves.
• We should write to television channels, producers, and directors about unsuitable content in a show or specific episode.  Also to politicians to prohibit unsuitable programs and advertisements.
• The temptation is strong, but we shouldn't use the television as a baby sitter.

Laying down the law about television can lead to confrontation in the family.  A calm explanation about why certain programs are off limits will have better results, and the children will learn family values.

Best of all, of course, is to give our children so many alternatives that television gets neglected.  We can take them to the library, museums, parks, games, social activities and other places where much can be learnt.  This requires a massive outlay of time and effort from us, of course, but aren't our children worth it?

Last revision: July 15, 2007

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