The Effects of Watching TV

Watching television is one of the most popular pastimes in the world. Almost all children do so; some even take the liberty of slipping out of bed unnoticed at night just to watch a show that they like. However, what most people do not realize is that television can ruin your eyesight, cause lack of concentration and can also inculcate many bad habits, especially in young ones. Most shows shown on the television nowadays involve bright color. According to the media, the brighter the picture, the better it is. But doctors feel the contrary. Almost all the latest movies and cartoons shown on television use a variety of special effects. Most of these involve explosions and gun fights (in the case of movies) and flashes of lightning and

bursts of color at times of animated violence (in the case of cartoons). Lastly, television is one of the main reasons for bad behavior seen in children, especially teenagers. These senses are heightened to a great extent as a result of which perception of sounds improves. This can cause lots of other added problems; restlessness and sleeplessness primarily. These sudden and intermittent flashes of light are capable of causing serious damage to the eye and can cause temporary blindness and migraine if a person watches television excessively. However, its reputation has been tainted as a result of its disadvantages but with good parental supervision and guidance, such undesirable situations can be avoided. Movies like Die Hard and Lethal Weapon display their actors slinging rifles over their shoulders, smoking cigarettes and swearing often, just to make them look "macho"tm. This is caused as a result of the combination of visual and auditory media which alert most of the senses of the viewer. Therefore, they adopt bad habits and may not be able to control themselves in the future due to their continued exposure to the violence and verbal abuse seen on television. This is especially seen in the case of people who normally study in the close vicinity of an operational television set. Another very common problem noticed in people who watch too much of television is their lack of concentration. This was the case with the recent popular Japanese cartoon show, Pokemon, where certain animals with special powers emitted balls of lightning or fire when prompted; many children suffered from headaches as a result of watching the show and complaints are still being issued against the show for the same reason. Television deserves to be recognized as a worthy pastime. This "macho"tm image appeals to young children who aim to be like them and as a result, start imitating them, from the way they talk, to the way they look and behave.