"Many small children spend more time watching TV than doing any other activity except sleeping." Watching too much television is unhealthy for young people because of the violent adult programming, the influence on children to mimic the actions they see, and the harmful effects it has on a childs' ability to learn.
The violence displayed on television leads children to believe that becoming aggressive is the only way to solve problems, become powerful, and popular. Futhermore, violent programming may also glorify abuse, assault, and murder. It is because of the childrens' false interpretation of the violence and adult content, that they can become more aggressive and desensitized to violent behavior.
When children start to admire the characters the watch, they then imitate the actions they see, and begin to think that violence and drug use are healthy life choices. They also begin to abandon healthy role models and replace them with the television characters they watch. This behavior can be dangerous to a childs' sense of reality. .
The television was invented in order to inform and entertain. However, children spend more time being entertained by the television than being informed in a classroom. Although some television stations do provide educational programming, children are more prone to watch cartoons or violent programming, that require no mental effort in order to participate. .
Unfortunately, the television is also unhealthy because it allows children abandon enriching activities such as athletics and reading, in order to waste hours eatting junk food in front of a television set. I believe that parents should install parental controls on their televisions, and only use the television as a reward for good behavior and finished homework.
