Self explanitory title.

Television as a whole is not a bad thing; it is the choices of the people watching that ultimately decide the effect of TV. Television can be educational as well as mind numbing; it all depends on which shows you chose the watch. Despite what many backwards experiments have said, TV has very little effect in violent tendencies in most teens. It’s sometimes the commercials these days are the worst. Television has not had a huge impact on my life. I watch it quite a bit and have many favorite shows but I do not take them seriously. It is usually when people have problems in real life that they are impacted by what is not real.

Television can be used for many educational purposes. There are many channels that promote learning for both children and adults. The Discovery channel is a great way to learn about everything; Discovery Kids is an exciting way for kids to learn about science and many interesting topics, while having fun. There are many topics on TV, and channels dedicated to these topics. There is even a Book channel! TV should not be viewed as a way to make people less smart, but a way to interest people in the world around them. If people are taught in a way that they enjoy, learning is easier. Educational television programs are beneficial to both adults and children.

Television usually has very little effect on teenagers who have stable backgrounds and were not brought up on violence. It is true that violent programs and scenes affect younger children because of their inability to perceive reality from fantasy; however, teens brought up in a non-violent environment are not usually effected. Some teens, having been brought up to dislike violence, choose not to watch violent programs from personal distaste. Watching such programs do not make stable adolescents want to become violent. Furthermore, a recent study that compared 78 violent teenage offenders to 500 non-offending students proved that the offenders actually watch less television than the everyday teen (Gauntlett Internet). Many arguments have stated the overused comment that if you watch too much TV it will be bad for you. Of course excessive amounts of anything will do bad: eating too much food will cause weight problems, too much exercise can damage your body, etc. Violent television doesn’t affect those who choose not to be affected by what a screen shows them. It all comes down the choices people make. Watching violent TV does not mean you will go become violent.

Commercials can be as bad or worse than the programs being watched. “The average child sees more than 20,000 commercials each year.” (“Television and Family” Internet). Teenagers probably see even more commercials than that. I have calculated that there are around 15 minutes of commercials for every one hour of television. “Children in the United States watch about 4 hours of TV every day.” (“Television and Family” Internet). Do the math and that is a whole hour of commercials each and every day for the average child. Commercials are a waste of time and a bad influence; but there is a solution! The PVR (personal video recorder) was built so viewers could pause, rewind and replay live TV, and also to record programs and movies. By utilizing this device, one can pre-record shows and movies so as to fast-forward the commercials and not waste that time (Brown Internet). One hour of commercials a day, and more than 200,00 commercials each year is too much. Commercials are the real ‘bad guys’ of media, using sex, exploitation and brain deadening repetition to sell their products.

Television for the most part has little effect on me or most people I know. There are many good sides to television (education, entertainment, news, and culture, to name a few) and many bad sides (violence, drug abuse, sexual content, etc.). Teens are more affected by their peers, parents, and real life than television. With proper control and in moderation the TV set (along with a handy PVR) can be a tool to the betterment of mankind, or in the wrong hands a destructive instrument. It’s your choice to let television affect you, whether positively or negatively.

Works Cited

Brown, Jennifer. “PVR Puts You in Control of Your TV Life.” Online. Internet. 5 October, 2006.

Gauntlett, David. “Ten Things Wrong With the Media ‘Effects’ Model.” Online. Internet. 1998.

“Television and the Family.” Online. Internet. 6 December, 2006