How Television Affects The Family

A detailed Summary of How Television Affects The Family

Opinion Essay: "How Television Affects The Family"

"The year was 1923, and Philo Farnsworth had an invention, and he called it The Television."(Farnsworth Cronicles) He had no idea how it would change the world. Since its arrival it has had a lasting impact on family life, throughout the world. When it first arrived, you couldn't find a family without one. Everyone was glued to their T.V. sets. Little has changed since its invention 81 years ago. Televisions became more modern and people couldn't pry themselves away from the "tube". Soon enough this was affecting just how a family acted with each other. Parents were seeing less and less of their children and children were becoming "couch-potatoes". The television has changed the way families were and are.

When television was invented, it was not intended to be a replacement. Family is the most important influence in a child's life, but television is not far behind. When parents began to use the television as a "baby-sitter" or a "teacher" for their children is when they began to lose touch with their children. As the children grew up watching television and not interacting with their parents, they grew less and less apart. "Children in the United States watch ab

Connections between family members have been in powerful competition with the television. Children at young ages mimic what they view on T.V. Television begins to have an effect on their relationships with real-life people. "They do not look someone square in the eye when they are talking to someone and begin to shift their view from side to side. This plays a significant role in one's success or failure in relationships."(Winn 158)

Also, the television affected how a child would progress physically. When the television was invented it was intended to pass some of the time you had free, not to fill it. Children were finding themselves more attached to the television and less outside getting exercise. Children were becoming less and less healthy and more obese. Video games did not help the solution by giving children a new reason to stay in front of the T.V. Parents were not connecting with their kids and kids were being raised by the T.V, much like "the Cable Guy".

The relationships that children experience throughout their lives have a long lasting impact on what kind of person he or she becomes. Unless a child has those meaningful connections, they do not experience what they need to become a "normal" human being.

When parents rely on television to raise their children, families begin to grow farther and farther apart. It is important that you do not use the television as a parent to guide your child. Parents should spend more time with their kids and cut down their children's t

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Approximate Word count = 1011
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: People