As teenagers we go to school for eight hours a day just as most adults work for eight hours each day, but for some teenagers thier day continues with sports and/clubs, and sometimes work long after the end of the school day. Therefore it's understandable that when they get home all they want to do is kick back and relax. What better way to do that then to sit on the couch and watch some TV right?
Although many teens seem to find TV relaxing, it might actually be harming their health. A study was conducted by the University of Pittsburg School of Medicine that showed that teens who watch TV for a longer period of time are more likely to develop depression. The teenage years are meant to be filled with learning and development. TV keeps teens cooped up in the house when they are bored or alone which in turn prevents them from communicating with others. Some teens reported an astounding 5.7 hours of their time was devoted to watching their regular 
television shows! That's almost six hours of the day that are wasted on meaningless shows. This time is being taken away from meaningful time spent with family and friends.
television shows! That's almost six hours of the day that are wasted on meaningless shows. This time is being taken away from meaningful time spent with family and friends.Aside from the amount of time spent watching TV the content of the programs being viewed by teens seems to be another factor that adds to depression. For both young men and woman television shows influence their self -esteems in ways that aren't always apparent. They continuously compare themselves to celebrities and models on TV, and it weighs heavily on their mental health. The negative effects of television begin to take a toll on teens and that is when depression sneaks up on them. The answer to this problem is to stop being such a couch potato! Take the six hours that you would have spent watching mind numbing television, and use it to spend some quality time with friends and family. Don't waste your time worrying about actors and actresses lives, and instead go out and live your own life!
This is really interesting! I thought it was really surprising at first, but after reading more it definitely makes sense that teens who would rather watch TV than hang out with their friends or family could easily become depressed. It can be tempting to watch TV after a long, stressful day of school, after school activities, and work for some students, but it seems a lot healthier to just hang out with a friend.
ReplyDeleteI never really thought about it that way untill you explained it. I agree with your article a hundred percent. Going home after a long day at school is very tiring. Plus if you do sports or have a job its just extra weight on your shoulders. Also the homework is another thing to worry about. I think we should all spread awareness of how bad watching tv for excess amount of hours can be!
ReplyDeleteWow I never knew how much TV affects your life. I have noticed that we are loosing a lot of good quality Television and replacing it with shows that are turning everyone’s mind to goo. TV time also adds up fast. If you think about it, if you watch shows such as Mythbusters (60m), Operation Repo (30m), Stargate Universe (60m), Stargate Atlantis (60m), and Stargate SG-1 (60m). That is 4 ½ hours of TV right there. A good fix for this problem would be to record some of your show on days that you have a lot of show on at once so that you can watch them on days that you have little or no shows on in order to cut down on your time spent watching TV per day.
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