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Turn off that television!

Bainbridge Review
Guest Column By Chris Christensen, CPC, Sound Parent Coaching
April 23, 2005

April 25 to May 1 is designated "Turn Off the TV Week."

A laudable goal, you might respond, but unrealistic. What's the big deal, anyway?

Everyone watches TV. Why Turn Off the TV?

The first reason one might think of involves the content.

Simplistic characters, dumbed-down language, ads that assault one's self-esteem and pocketbook, smart-aleck children putting down their bumbling parents with clever one-liners, and made-for-TV-news that features emotionally-charged scenes of death and destruction are common TV fare.

No wonder researchers have found a strong correlation between the amount of TV viewing time and depression among both children and adults.

A lesser known reason for turning off the TV concerns the effects of TV upon children's developing brains.

Researchers, educators and psychologists are concerned about what is not happening in children's brains when they watch TV.

Through brain research, scientists have learned that complex neural connections are made in children's brains when children are physically active, when they are exploring their environment, when children are touched and held, when they are talked to and read to on a consistent basis.

Such brain-healthy activities do not happen when children sit mutely in front of the television.

Based on findings by brain researchers, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no TV for children under 2 years of age and a maximum of one to two hours a day of quality programming for older children. TV viewing has been implicated in increased attention difficulties, increased bullying and aggression, obesity, decreased academic abilities, decreased social skills, and depression and anxiety among children.

Research also indicates that just having the TV on in the background can negatively affect growing brains.

Researchers also have concerns about the limiting effect of TV on the development of a child's imagination.

Unlike reading or hearing stories, watching television does not require using one's imagination because everything is already created; there is no need for innovation.

A well-developed imagination is not only important for preparing the brain for reading, but for the ability to imagine possibilities - creative possibilities, alternative possibilities in problem-solving, and possible consequences of one's actions.

Imagination also plays an important role in our moral choices. At the heart of morality is the realization that our actions have an impact on other people.

If we cannot imagine how our actions affect other people, how can we build a mofal life?

Yes, television can be fun and we can learn things from TV.

We can use TV like a tool - a tool for a designated purpose, such as learning about another culture or exploring realms of science.

We can choose to watch something specific or we can choose to turn off the TV and perhaps do something we enjoy which we have not had the time to do.

The Turn Off the TV website, www.tvturnoff.org, has helpful ideas for television use.

The average American watches over four hours of TV per day.

Imagine what we could do with an extra four hours a day.

Christine Christensen is a 20-year island resident and partner in Sound Parent Coaching, a Bainbridge business promoting the raising of healthy children and concerned about the effects of television and the media.