Why television is bad for society - Essay Example

Why Television is bad for Society Television has caused harm in children’s behavior and has greatly influenced theirimagination. A number of the television scenes are violent, rough and have sexual scenes. This has made children to behave the same way they see on TV. Obesity has also been attributed to television. In most households, the TV is on all the time. The only time that it is turned off is when the family goes to sleep. Therefore, children lack physical exercise from staying indoors.

However, parents are also to blame as they at times use television as a babysitter. This creates an opportunity for children to watch any program they wish to regardless of its content (Evans 15). Parents tend not to monitor what their children are watching as they are too busy with work. Nevertheless, parents should take advantage of the parental control button and use it so as to shield their children from the negative influences in the adult rated programs. Children who watch more television end up being aggressive and violent.

They are seen to act out what they see in television (Beretta & Smith 48). These has caused some teenagers to take drastic measures as carrying guns to school and end up shooting classmates that they did not like, or one they had a disagreement with. Violence is the biggest vice that has been picked up from watching too much television. The languages picked up from the programs aired are also very vulgar and rude. The solution to this is for parents to reduce the amount of time spent watching television in a day to two hours, preferably in the evening when parents are home from work.

Television has also caused a lack of individualism. Most people in a society want to mimic the celebrity’s way of speaking, fashion, and the way they behave. This has had a negative effect for both children and adults. People are seen to have gone bankrupt just by trying to mimic the lifestyle of their favorite celebrity (Albert 38). The politicians too use it as a platform to divide people. They have been seen to tell a lie today and simply refuse that they ever said it the following day. Criminals also use the TV to learn new tricks aired in different television shows.

It has become a big distraction to the things that are more important in life. People tend to read less, exercise less, socialize less, and even go to church less. Different religious churches have been seen to swindle money out of people since they broadcast their shows on TV. Many people have taken this medium to advance their business ventures in all sorts of ways. It has introduced greed and viciousness into the world. It takes away time that can be used to achieve goals set in life. It keeps ones focus away from the reality of what is really important, and people have failed to meet their full potential (Beretta & Smith 52).

Behaviors and ideologies are picked from what people watch. This it changes the way they think. Children have been most affected as they spend less time on their homework and end up failing their exams. It encourages people to be lazy and dormant. It has made people stop thinking for themselves as news anchors provide constant insights, observations, and information (Evans 52). The programs aired portray picture-perfect families and relationships, therefore, misleading many people. Television has portrayed specific body sizes to be good while others to be bad.

Plus size women have been seen to have a lack of self esteem as the media portrays the slim body to be the perfect size for the ideal woman. This has led many ladies and young girls into diets, with some using drugs so as to shed off weight so as they can have the body structure that the society appreciates. Many of them sink into anorexia while others commit suicide because of all the pressure that they receive (Albert 98). The society should take into account how the world has changed over the years.

Being able to limit the time one spends watching television can lead to more innovations and new talents. Families can also get to catch up with what family members have been doing during the day. The first place that the changes can be made to this vice is in people’s homes (Evans 76). Limiting the time spent watching TV and controlling what the children watch will help in reducing all the harm that has so far been caused by television. Works Cited Albert, G. Theremin: Ether Music and Espionage.

Illinois: University of Illinois Press, 2000. Print. Beretta, E., & Smith, S. Shaded Lives: African-American Women and Television. New Brunswick, N J: Rutgers University Press, 2002. Print. Evan, L. S. The Last Inventor: A Tale of Genius, Deceit, and the Birth of Television. New York: Harper Paperbacks, 2003. Print.