Excessive Television Viewing - Essay Example

Reports state that the amount of time millions of citizens of the US are spending on Television has increased and it has become the most renowned time pass of US citizens (Gandossy, 2009). It is entertaining to watch favorite television shows but it is highly advised that television viewing should be restricted especially for teenagers and children. Excessive viewing of television leads to mental and physical illnesses. The amount of time those children and other individuals spend watching Television can be used for physical and mental well-being. There are various disadvantages of watching excessive television, these cons include limited perception, addiction, and obesity.

This paragraph will talk about the negative health effects of watching excessive television. Excessive television viewing leads to a slow increase in body fat the viewer and ultimately the viewer experiences the harsh conditions of obesity. Those children who spend time hours in front of the television end up gaining less physical activity and their physical development tampers. A study was conducted on 89 children aged between 2 years and 6 years (Jackson, 2009). During this study, the researchers measured the energy that children waste while watching TV, and its effect on their physical well-being was even measured. The parents of these white Scottish children were asked to fill out questionnaires related to the research. The outcome of the study was that there was a positive link between watching TV and changes in body weight. The study proved that 1 hour of viewing television leads to an increase of 2.2 pounds of body weight. The study even figured out that the eating habits that these children obtained while watching TV were damaging their physical condition. The researchers in the study stated that while watching television, the amount of sweat and high-calorie intake increases, and concentration on eating healthy food such as vegetables decreases.

 The previous paragraph focused on the negative health effects, and this paragraph focuses on the addiction caused due to watching television. Excessive viewing of television ultimately leads to the addition of television shows and this leads to behavioral constraints. Those individuals who spend too much time watching television provide insight that they are addicted to watching television. They state that watching television is like them. This is similar to the effect of drug abuse, when drug abusers are asked about their experience while they consume drugs, they state they like the sensation of drugs. Similarly, excessive TV watchers even state that TV watching helps them relax their minds and forget about the world they are living in. This event is again similar to drug addiction, as drug addicts state that drugs help them relax and forget about their issues.

The previous paragraph focused on the negative effects of watching excessive television on health and behavior, this paragraph will discuss the negative effect on the perception of watching excessive television. Television watching has the greatest impact on children’s perception and they create a perception of a world that may not be completely true and expect the world to operate in a similar way. For example, cartoon hero episodes show that when the world is in pain, a hero with superpowers will come and save them. Those who watch such shows start believing that the world will be changed by some supernatural hero which may be not completely true as superheroes do not exist.  

 Watching excessive television leads to limited perception, obesity, bad eating habits, and addiction. Research has proved that when children watch television they eat unhealthy food which includes: food comprising a higher amount of calories and a lower amount of fiber. Just like drug addicts state that they find comfort and relaxation by abusing drugs, individuals addicted to TV report the same feelings and sensations.