20 of 169

Yes

Write now Article Tools

Yes, I absoulutely agree. Growing up without the "pleasures" of television, and I do use the term pleasures very lightly.

The fact that you could sit in your own home and the whole world could be brought into our living room, was one of the facinating developments of the early 19th century. The problem is not with televison, the problem is with what comes out of it and the damage that it does, not just to children but everybody that is susceptible to it. But having said that it does provide us with the opportunity to learn and develop in areas that we would not have ordinarily thought. I think the key thing here is balance.

Fifty or so years ago, families seemed to have more time for each other, time spent engaging with members of the family. Sitting and talking to each other at meal times seemed to be a special time. It was not marked by what we did or did not have on our tables, but it was a time to enjoy each others company. It was not determined by what television programme is on next, neither is the topic of conversation determined by the issue on the televison. These days, meals are consumed in front on the television, time that could have been engaged in doing meaningful activities together are lost, precious study time is being sacrificed at the expence of nonsensical and vile reality shows.

I recently returned to study after many years, and found that I was in a toss up between getting down to some college work or watching a reality programme that had me really gripped to it. It was a really challenge seeing that this programme ran for the whole length of the college term. I know my work did suffer, but I had to spend double time later on to make up for precious time lost when I could have been studying.

The inter-relationships between members of the family members start breaking down once we start to loose the ability to communiciate with each other, and we being to take our points of reference from outside the family sphere. The post war generation are consumed by television and demand more and more of it. The worst the programmes tends to attract huge audiences, and meaningful programmes that are heartfelt always tend to be screened way outside the peak viewing times.

There are postitive sides to TV though, it has opened up the world to us, and brought us in many respects the harsh reality of the world in which we live in, corruption, violence, broken dreams, poverty, depravation, man's inhumane treatment of each other. Of course the opposite is that we have gone to places because of television that some of us will never ever go to in our life time. We have seen the beauty that lies beneath the depth of the world oceans. There are animals, plants and such like that I am amazed even exist. Exploring the mysteries and wonders of outer space is absoultely fascinating, we have seen the miracle of new birth from the conception to birth.

So why do I think that children should be raised without television? I think that it is because of the negativities that television fosters that's what makes it bad, and there is far too much of that at present. If televsion was regulated to a few hours a day then parents would not have to depend on it being a babysitter for their children.

Learn more about this author, Ruth Jacob.
Click here to send author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Should parents raise their children without television??
We want to hear your view. Write now!