Have you ever wondered what the effects of children that watch too much television would be? In the article "Media Studies: What can we learn from what entertains us?" Written by Neil Postman, an American author who explains how in today's society many people are affected from what they see through the eyes of the media, specifically through the use of television, books, radio, newspaper, and the internet. The detrimental health effects of watching too much television during childhood persist into adulthood. The process from learning through the use of a television has minimal advantages and many disadvantages, especially speaking in terms of teaching children resulting in too much time spent behind the television screen. Watching a television show in order to learn may have a different meaning compared to being inside of a classroom. Furthermore, parents should monitor the amount of time spent watching television and not rely on the media to teach their children about life lessons and educational purposes.
Relying on learning through watching a television show can be a distraction to a student's education because the student is not held accountable like other students that would be inside of a classroom. Not to mention the off topic advertisements that are being played during commercials which interrupt the educational values a television show may have to offer. Postman also states, "You will even find some who say that learning is best facilitated by a loving and benign teacher. But no one has ever said or implied that significant learning is effectively, durably, and truthfully achieved when education is entertainment." A student can get away with being sidetracked with other things whereas inside of a classroom a teacher has the ability to maintain a certain amount of class participation as well as keeping the students well behaved. Attending class is a legal requirement whereas watching a television show can be considered an act of choice and allows the student to not put forth the same amount of effort as if they were in an actual classroom.
