Don’t you think television is incredible? You can sit in front of that little box and get transported away… You can see beautiful forests and visit far-off kingdoms, travel through time or go into outer space, meet interesting people, learn new things, and have fun! It’s the invention that has changed our lives.
According to www.tvturnoff.com, a typical child aged 2-17 spends 19 hours and 40 minutes a week in front of the television set, and only 38.5 minutes per week having meaningful conversation with their parents. In fact, 54% of 4-6-year-olds would rather watch TV than spend time with their dads!
And that’s the problem. You’ve probably heard about how too much TV is not good for you. Just think… the average American youth spends 900 hours a year in school, and 1023 hours watching TV. Every week a child watching TV sees 213 acts of violence (including 17 murders), views 384 commercials, and spends less time talking with family, or studying, or going outside.
All the hours that we spend “glued to the tube” are hours that are taken away from things that really matter – things we will wish we had done more of when we get older.
Seeing beautiful forests… Spending time with our parents is important, and it can be really fun. Going camping in Rouge Park, or going on a walk or bike ride with your parents on one of Toronto’s nature trails can show you those beautiful forests from television – except this time you’ll be able to smell and touch and really experience the forest. And you can get closer to your family at the same time – you might even learn some embarrassing stories about your parents. Check out www.city.toronto.on.ca/parks/recreation_facilities.htm for a trail or park near you.
Visiting far-off kingdoms… Books, books, books. There are so many books to choose from, filled with adventure, mystery and fairy spells, and also real problems with friendships, bullying and family issues. They can take you anywhere – and you can take them anywhere! Read on the bus to school, on a bench in the park, or even on your living room couch. When you read, you actually have to think and imagine instead of having images given to you. As an added bonus, the more you read, the better your writing will get. Tell your librarian what you’d like to read so you can get some suggestions, or go to www.tpl.toronto.on.ca and search the library catalogue.
Travelling through time or going into outer space… Playing a game about time travel, or space travel, is way cooler than watching someone else have all the fun. Hanging out with your friends and siblings and playing make-believe games is the best part of childhood. Of course, games don’t have to be make-believe to be fun. How about playing a sport, or Tag,
Meeting interesting people, learning new things, and having fun… You can do all of this, and more, by playing for a local sports team, taking cool classes at a nearby community centre, volunteering in your neighbourhood, joining Scouts
(www.scouts.ca) or Guides (www.guides.ca), or anything else you can think of. And, best of all, when you do all these things, you can actually interact with others instead of just listening and watching.
I’m not saying to cut TV out of your life completely. Sometime a little bit of television is good. But we all have to be able to draw the line somewhere. Decide what your priorities are, and then get out and enjoy yourself!
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