Essay: The Effects of Watching Television on Adolescents
On average, children of ages 2 to 5 watch around 32 hours of television per week. This is a substantial
amount of exposure to one influence, so the real question is, does this affect children? In short, yes, it
does. The results of large amounts of exposure to television and other media can result in behavioral
and health issues, as well as negatively influencing one's actions and morals.
One significant impact is the effect it can have on a child's grades and performance in both school and
extracurricular activities. Television can act as a distraction, hindering a child's productivity. Rather than
focusing their attention to school, a child that is focused on television will become entangled in what
they are watching, resulting in lower grades and reduced productivity. Not only this, but it can also
affect their social interactions with other people and children their age. Extended exposure to television
can cause children to become more reserved, and can cause lack of interest in others due to the
attention being projected onto the media that they are consuming.
This exposure can also have a dire effect on a child's health, as it could result in an inadequate amount
of time spent on physical activities. It is recommended that children spend a minimum of 30 minutes
doing rigorous physical activities every day, but television can distract children from this responsibility.
This can lead to many health issues, such as obesity, underdevelopment, and more. This could also take
away from team sports, which not only keep a child in healthy physical condition, but helps ground solid
morals and mental health. Television can distract a child from this, and not allow them to participate in
regular activities for a child.
Another consequence of prolonged television exposure is the adverse side effects that it can have on a
child's psychological state and behavior. Violence and wrongful actions portrayed in the media might
project onto the child, and have an influence on their actions as well. They might start to look up to
villainous characters or have a skewed vision of what is right and wrong. This can result in the child
disrespecting, and even hurting people.
While technology and media is a large part of life in this day in age, it is important to find the proper
balance between daily activities and media consumption. While television can be entertaining to watch,
it is important that you do not let it take away from activities in your daily life, and that you understand
that it is just television, not reality.