Disturbing Behavior: Television

Examine any home in America today and you will discover that it contains more than one television. According to a Kaiser Family Foundation study, nearly 99 percent of homes have at least one television, and 62 percent have three or more. Options never before in history include satellite television with hundreds of channels, major networks competing against each other, cable channels that push the limits of decency and Web television. Programs can now be seen on cellular phones and carried anywhere. Recent surveys tell us that three out of four youth spend four hours per day viewing television. That is an amazing twenty-eight hours per week. More alarming is the content of the programs being consumed by children or teens. Television has moved from neutral entertainment to vulgar programming that kids are tuning in to in large numbers. Just sit and watch MTV, ABC, CBS, AMC one evening, and you’ll discover that little music is played. Rather, what you’ll see is nothing short of soft pornography and reality television that depicts young people engaged in sexual promiscuity and using foul language.

The problems in addition to sexual activity and foul language are that our kids learn wrong ways to deal with problems and to treat others based on what they see on TV shows. Other problems include academic underachievement, influence, and self-fulfilling prophecy as youths act like and/or act out what they see on television. The four hours each day watching television could be better spent reading or being involved in some other activity. The television cannot be trusted to babysit our youths any longer.

So what can we do? The easy answer is to unplug the television; however, that might not be realistic. The next best solutions are boundaries and communication. By boundaries I mean that parents should set rules concerning the utilization on television in their homes. These rules can center around content, channels viewed and time spent watching television. As they formulate these boundaries they’ll have to communicate these to their children.

Here are some further suggestions for parents: Talk openly about the choices teens make and the shows they watch. Don’t be afraid to change the channel or turn it off completely. Whatever rules you make, take time to talk through them with your children so that they learn what’s appropriate and what isn’t. I encourage you to sit and view their favorite program with them, then talk about the content and situations presented. Sources such as Focus on the Family’s “Unplugged” will give you and your teens valuable insight into the content of television programming.