Pros and Cons of Watching Television

Many of us love watching TV especially during our free time and if we don't have anything to do. We like watching TV while eating our favorite snacks or hanging around in a friend's place. Either way we are entertained when we watch TV. There are many different programs we can watch on TV depending on our mood and our personality. Some love watching comedy and talk shows while others particularly kids and those who are young at heart love watching cartoons on Cartoon Network or Disney channel.

But then, watching TV has its advantages and disadvantages. Experts say that too much watching of TV especially among children is not good for the health and the mind. TV can be entertaining and informative yet at times it can be damaging and harmful.

Below are the Pros and Cons of watching TV.

Pros and Cons of Watching Television

Pros:

1.) Entertainment and Laughter
We are entertained by shows we love to watch. We laugh at things we find funny and comical in the TV program we are watching. We also love to dance or sing along with celebrities we see on TV and some of us even copy their dance moves and singing styles.

2.) Information and How-To
We learn a lot of information about places and people that we usually don't learn on magazines, books and newspapers. There are travel shows that show us beautiful places in the world and inform us the culture of different countries which can be a great help especially if we are planning to travel. We also easily learn how to cook new recipes by watching cooking shows and we can learn doing some other stuff through programs that show step-by-step procedures of performing a particular work, exercise or other interesting stuff.

3.) Improve Memory and Easy Learning
We usually take note of the time schedule for our favorite programs especially if it is only shown once or twice a week. We tend to store and recall the things that recently happened in our favorite show before the next episode will be shown on TV. This will help enhance our memory which we can apply on our daily life. For children, it is easier to learn math, science, alphabet and other subject matters if someone can show them how to do it like counting, identifying objects and a lot more. Educational TV shows are available for children to watch and learn.

4.) Bonding With Family and Friends
Watching TV is a great way to bond with family and friends especially on weekends. You can laugh and discuss things that you see on TV. That can be really fun.

5.) Awareness and Alertness
Weather reports and current news on different parts of the worlds can make you aware of what is happening outside your country. You can also be alert when there is an incoming typhoon in your area and that can help you get prepared.

Cons:
1.) Decline in creativity and imagination.
TV shows including commercials have tendency to share their creative works on us and impart their ideas and opinions on us which is not favorable and can lead to a decline in our creativity and imagination since we can not think on our own since creative stuff are readily available and shared to us.

2.) Health problems
We usually eat junk foods or any of our favorite snacks while watching TV. This is not good for our health because we tend to eat a lot while we are sitting down facing the television. This can lead to obesity since we don't move a lot when we watch TV. This can also lead to other serious ailments caused by eating a lot and moving less.

3.) Makes people lazy
Most of us get hooked when watching programs of our favorite TV channel. We sometimes even forget to do our work or other important things because we got engaged in the show we are watching. Some people forget to do their household chores because they would rather watch TV than work.

4.) Some shows don't teach good values.
There are TV programs that do not teach good values particularly to children. Instead of teaching them good deeds they even imitate, re-enact or spoof important things happening around us which is not good for children to watch.

To sum up, in watching TV you should choose and monitor the TV programs that you and your children should watch. Choose programs that can help you learn and grow as a person. You should also limit the time your children spend in watching TV. The maximum number of hours small kids should watch TV is 3 hours while for teenagers you should make sure they watch good shows only when they are done with homework and projects.

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Sitting Too Close to the Television

It's a fact of life that children like to watch television. However there are health concerns that are vocalized by many about letting your kids sit too close to the TV. These were raised in the early days of television when the TV was often affectionately referred to as a radiation box. Obviously there was no radiation danger from watching TV and the technology has advanced beyond what it was originally.

Still the questions about whether it's harmful to watch TV for too long, or sit too close remain. If you're child is not physically active and spends all of his or her time in front of the TV then obviously they will begin to get a little heavy. In this aspect the question about if it is harmful is a definite yes. It's important for kids to get out and have plenty of physical activity in order to grow and develop properly.

As far as the question about sitting too close to the TV goes the answer is a bit complicated. However you can answer most of it yourself with some common sense knowledge. If you work on a computer, or use a laptop for long periods of time and sit too close what happens to your eyes? They become itchy, red, irritated, and your vision becomes blurred.

Sitting Too Close to the Television

Now if that happens to you who are fully grown, imagine what it might be doing to your kids. This isn't a scare argument, but more of a common sense argument. Children and toddlers often don't understand the concept of letting your eyes rest so it's important to manage this for them until they understand. Continued long term watching regardless of range can lead to long term headaches and migraines.

That covers the physical part of the question, but what about the mental part? Yes there is a mental part to this question that most parents simply do not think about. If you let your child or toddler sit real close and directly in front of the TV they will begin to think it's theirs. This can lead to behavioral problems down the line and cause quite a few issues.

Before you dismiss this as silly remember how children learn what's theirs and what's not. When you hand them a new, they grab it, and it becomes theirs. If you sit them in front of the TV alone and leave them then they will assume this box with the colorful moving pictures is theirs as well. Being up close and directly in front of it will reinforce this position as well.

In order to prevent this from happening it's important to teach them that it's not theirs. This works the same way you teach them that other things are not theirs. You typically sit them at an angle from the TV where they can see it, but not directly in front of it. When they move closer or try to touch it you simply pick them up and put them back. So is it harmful for your child to sit too close to the TV? Physically it can be straining on the eyes so yes, but in the end use your own parental judgment.

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How to Stop Your Child From Watching Too Much Television

The average American child spends 26 hours a week in front of the television, and children are starting to watch TV earlier in life than in the past. Television is often used as a "babysitter," or children are allowed to have a TV set in their bedrooms, thus parents loose control over what and how much television is watched, and don't spend time enough family time with their children.

Common sense tells us too much of TV time is not healthy, and research supports those instinct. There is evidence that watching television is associated with increased snacking on junk food, thus promoting increased caloric intake. Sedentary television watching coupled with increased caloric intake promotes obesity, thus low self-esteem, and other health problems associated with excessive weight. Some problems are immediate, some emerge in adulthood. Studies show that TV violence promotes real-life aggression in children, and may even lead to the development of ADHD, and increase risk-taking behaviors in teenagers.

What can parents do to prevent these harmful effects of TV? It's simple. Turn off the TV and encourage play! The first two years of your child's life represents a critical window for neurological development. Children should not be allowed to watch TV at all during that time. Instead, they should play with age appropriate toys that will help them develop manual dexterity and imagination.

How to Stop Your Child From Watching Too Much Television

After 2 years of age, children should watch no more than 1-2 hours of TV (that includes computer time too!). The American Academy of Pediatrics states that consistent TV watching of more than 1-2 hours a day can cause sleep behavior and attention problems, thus the experts recommend putting a limit of on children's TV viewing time.

Studies show that it is easier to decrease sedentary behaviors than it is to increase physical activity. Once parents put a limit on TV/computer time, children will be more active. However, parents need to be a little more proactive to increase their children's physical activity by scheduling playtime involving physical exertion.

A child should never have a television set in his or her bedroom, as it promotes watching too much TV and separates the child from the family. In addition, when a child has a TV set in his or her room, parents lose control of what and how much TV their child watches. Television should be used as an educational tool for older children. Parents should select the programs they would like their children to watch, watch them together as a family, and use them as a starting point for discussions. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the following to help your child develop positive viewing habits:

1. Set limits. Limit your children's use of TV, movies, and video and computer games to no more than 1 or 2 hours per day. Do not let your children watch TV while doing homework. Do not put a TV in your child's bedroom.

2. Plan what to watch. Instead of flipping through channels, use a program guide and the TV ratings to help you and your children choose which shows to watch. Turn the TV on to watch the program and turn it off when it is over. Or use a DVR like TiVo to record only the shows your child is allowed to watch. You can skip through the commercials, too!

3. Watch TV with your children. Whenever possible, watch TV with your children and talk about what they see. If your children are very young, they may not be able to tell the difference between a show, a commercial, a cartoon, or real life. Be especially careful of "reality-based" programs. Most of these shows are not appropriate for children.

4. Find the right message. Some TV programs show people as stereotypes. If you see this, talk with your children about the real-life roles of women, the elderly, and people of other races.

5. Help your children resist commercials. When your children ask for things they see on TV, explain that the purpose of commercials is to make people want things they may not need.

6. Look for quality children's videos and DVDs. There are many quality videos and DVDs available for children. Check reviews before buying or renting programs or movies.

7. Give other options. Watching TV can become a habit for your children. Help them find other things to do like playing, reading, learning a hobby, a sport, an instrument, or an art, or spending time with family, friends, or neighbors.

8. Set a good example. As a role model, limiting your own TV viewing and choosing programs carefully will help your children do the same.

9. Express your views. When you like or do not like something you see on TV, make yourself heard. Stations, networks, and sponsors pay attention to letters from the public. If you think a commercial is misleading or inappropriately targeting children, write down the product name, channel, and time you saw the commercial and describe your concerns.

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How Do Reality Television Shows Affect Children?

There has been a lot of discussion lately on the relative merits of reality television when it comes to different people in society. There are a number of people that will argue that reality television is not good for children and there are many reasons that are forwarded to prove that point. Most of these reasons do not seem to be well thought out or logical however and to prove that point it is definitely possible to play Devil's advocate and argue the reverse point. Namely, the point that reality television shows can affect children in a positive sense is one that is definitely worth considering and it is worth considering for the reasons that are given below.

Education

Reality television shows can often be an education, both for the people that participate in them and for the people that watch them. Of course, in most cases reality television shows are not really open to children and this means that children are left to watch the shows on television. These shows will show how people can react when put in high stress situations and the shows themselves can also show exactly how people can react when they end up scheming and plotting against other people in order to get to the top and be the last person standing.

How Do Reality Television Shows Affect Children?

People may scoff and put on a shocked demeanor when they come across these types of events in a reality television show, but only the most naïve person would really think that none of these things spill out into real life. Reality television is given the name reality specifically because of the fact that a lot of these things go on in real life too in areas like schools, workplaces and offices. Watching the shows now will expose children to this type of behavior in a relatively controlled environment that will not directly affect them and therefore will give them a better chance of noticing and preventing such behavior when it starts getting directed against them later on in life.

Alternatives

What is available on television nowadays for children to watch? For children that are of a very young age there are of course cartoons and for children that are older there are the normal adult sitcoms and other shows that they can watch. But for children in the middle there really isn't that much else on television for them to watch. Movies have become very violent and laden with sex and the same can really be said for many of the television shows that you can see today as well. Cartoons do not have the intellectual content necessary to hold the attention of most middle-age kids and therefore one could argue that there is a big void in their lives on this particular issue.

Then consider reality television. Since there are humans interacting with other humans in a real way of speaking, there is going to be a minimum amount of violence in most cases and in shows where there has been real violence a lot of it has been edited out. The same can be true of sex and if the show is on a cable network this is definitely going to be true in terms of the editing. So reality television is a relatively clean show when compared to many of the other things your kids could be watching and since kids want to watch television, reality television in many cases is going to be your best choice to give them something positive and educational to watch. These are both very powerful reasons to consider reality television as having a positive effect on your child.

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Warning For Children Who Watch Too Much Television

As technology becomes more prevalent in the household, there are increasingly more cases of children developing bad habits in terms of posture and strain. Without parents guiding them and teaching them good habits, these can develop over time into a painful experience for the child when they grow older. Follow our advice to help your children get the best from their early experience with technology.

Kids love watching television. As much as parents like to spend time with them, many times it is easier for the parent to just leave the child in front of the tv and give them a good hour or so watching their favorite cartoons or shows. It is important to teach them to take their focus away from the television every few minutes and look into the distance to relax their eye muscles. Not only does this help prevent shortsightedness but it will also improve their concentration over a long term. Television has never been prove to cause bad vision in children, however the strain of the eye muscles has been shown to indirectly cause vision problems in children. Like any other exercise, relaxing a muscle can have great benefits especially when it comes to the eye.

Buy your children a proper chair which is both comfortable to sit in for long periods, and does not restrict their movement in any way. A bean bag, while comfortable, may not be the best solution for them as their spine is not naturally straight and creates a bad posture for their development. A proper chair with good back support is a must, that keeps their eyes level with the television, so they are not looking up, or down at the screen. This is also true not just for television, but also when they are in front of their computer screen.

Warning For Children Who Watch Too Much Television

If they are typing, then their arms must be comfortable and not stretched out to reach the keyboard. Remember that you should try to get smaller keyboards to accompany their smaller hands, and that the table should not be too high so their feet are off the ground. If the child is able to sit down properly then their feet should properly touch the ground in comfort. Teaching them to sit straight can be a difficult and constant thing to do as a parent, but in the long run it will provide great benefits to their back muscles when they develop.

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