When It's Light Out, You're Out
Television can be a wonderful learning tool.
Thirty-odd years ago, "Sesame Street" ,
"The Electric Company" and "Mr. Rogers' Neighbourhood"
helped my sons learn to read, count,
socialize and cope with feelings.
Nature programs on public television taught them
an enormous respect for the world at large
and the creatures within it.
Not until the boys were old enough to understand
how commercials tried to promote consumption
were they allowed to watch sports programs
on commercial television.
The basic motto of the household was,
"When it's light out, you're out"—
that is, playing outdoors.
With little TV, they were two lean, strong, athletic children
who grew up in a home without junk food,
did not pester their parents to buy things they saw advertised,
never smoked or drank alcohol
and knew more about wildlife than the leader of a trip to Kenya.
Unfortunately, our experience with television
is rarely duplicated these days.
Sitting passively in front of the tube for hours
is taking its toll on the bodies and minds of the nation's children.
Studies have documented unhealthy effects on weight,
attention span, reading skills and socialization
among children who spend hours a day
watching television or playing video games.
The average young child in this country
watches about four hours of television a day
and each year sees tens of thousands of commercials,
often for high-fat, high-sugar or high-salt snacks and foods;
thousands of episodes of violence;
and countless instances of alcohol use
and inappropriate sexual activity.
By the time American children finish high school,
they have spent nearly twice as many hours
in front of the television set as in the classroom.