Leah Floch
GE 117
Research Essay
The Evil Box When you observe the daily routine of typical American children, television is the center of daily activities. When parents do not monitor the time spent in front of the set, kids get home from school and race through the door to flop immediately on the couch to flip on the usual shows, when parental supervision is present, kids know that chores or homework has to get done before anything else, regardless of what it may be. Sixty years ago, in our grandparents’ age, television was watched through windows of the downtown appliance store, or on a very special occasion like landing on the moon. Now households have an average of two and a half televisions. (Yang, 2011) Our youth are not learning about the world like they should, and they are not as smart as they could be, all because of this evil box we all take for granted. Also, there is an epidemic of childhood obesity and health problems occurring due to the side effects of watching the television. Television is adversely affecting the future that depends upon the outcome of our children. Television discourages social behavior, delays brain development in the very young, promotes unhealthy living, and tears down our core family values. Television can be blamed for many of student academic failures. The infant brain is not developed like a mature adults, and it acts as a “single receptacle of sensory experience” (Vorisek, 2007), which absorbs everything around it. Specific right and left brain divisions do not develop until around age 12. Television threatens brain development because it requires a suspension of active cognition. Due to this lack of development, students that rely on television on a daily basis struggle in areas of school that should come natural to them, resulting in negative attitudes towards school and dislike of learning. Language skills are underdeveloped from lack of verbal conversations. Reduced imaginative abilities from visual and auditory overstimulation inhibit descriptive and detailed storytelling.
Young kids also need to spend time interacting with other kids their own age to develop good social skills and communication techniques for later in life. Lack of well-developed social skills is a sign of weak language and communication skills. Television often takes place of interactive experiences that promote healthy brain development. The images and colors television has can lead to an overload on the visual cortex of the brain, while at the same time depriving other parts of the brain. The brain becomes dependant on that stimulus, and so the areas responsible for creative thought and judgment are less able to form imagery common for young children. This all by itself leads to kids not being able to distinguish real life from television, and will develop into mental and emotional issues. Some agencies think this is why kids today are more violent than their parents. There have been studies done on “fast-paced television”, which means how often a program does a complete scene change. The overstimulation actually taxes the brain until the visual and auditory areas temporarily shut down, leaving less brain cells every time it happens. Longer term studies also show this effect changes children’s “executive function” (Silverman, 2011)ability. “Executive function is the collective term for the process of being able to pay attention, make a plan, and …. Carry out that plan until the goal is reached. It’s the function of the brain that allows us to be able to mentally play with ideas, be creative, stay focused and give thoughtful response rather than one that is impulsive. Our ability to delay gratification also is reliant…” (Silverman, 2011) The development of executive function is a tool used to judge children’s readiness for school, and their level of executive function is used to predict how well they will do in their studies later on. Kids do not perform as well academically as other children due to their inability to focus on one task. Children, on average, are at increased health risks with higher chances of developing long-term physical problems such as obesity when exposed to prolong periods of sedentary activities. (Kyla Boyse, 2010) Children who are not monitored by their parents, but are monitored by the television, are more likely to overeat, leading to junk food addictions and poor diet, and they can develop bad habits from excessively snacking. (Education.com, 2009) The body also gets used to obtaining food at irregular intervals instead of meal times, causing the body to create more fat storage and increasing the appetite. Kids who spend more time with the television also develop lazy behavior patterns due to lack of physical exercise. Less time spent outdoors also means lack of fresh air and sunshine, depriving the body of yet more essential elements and vitamins. “When children spend less time at play and more time inert, they are missing out on learning basic balance and coordination techniques that are essential foundation our body is built upon.” (Vorisek, 2007)
Television is slowly transforming the family unit from what has traditionally been the backbone of taught morals and values. The gathering of family members used to happen every day at mealtimes and bedtimes. With today’s busy schedules and both parents working, families only gather for holidays and special occasions. Things that are normally taught through experience and passed on wisdom are now learned through television, like a substitute parent. “Television teaches children that rude, irresponsible behavior is not only acceptable but also glamorous.” (Vorisek, 2007) Children shape the way they think by watching situational examples and emulating the actions taken by particular role models. If the only role model available appears on the screen once a day, decision making skills and consequence measures are not conveyed fully, if at all. Sex and violence are shown without consequences or impact. Judgment and wisdom cannot be taught in thirty minutes with commercial interruption, so actions that appear impulsive are acceptable. The ability to tell right from wrong and to apply critical logic is not an instinct, it needs to be taught. So, this evil little box that our lives are now built around affects much more than people understand. If parents were aware of the harm it is doing, maybe children will be less exposed. It is up to the style of parenting method used as to how much or how little a person allows the television to rule a child’s life. Studies have shown the adverse affects on brain development, and linked that to a child’s readiness and performance in school. The meaning of “family” needs to be enforced in society, and taught to be an important priority for life. A child is always better off when the parents stay involved. Hopefully people will take a more interactive part in the lives of their children again, so our world can start getting back to being the intelligent, focused people that created the evil box in the first place.

Works Cited
Education.com. (2009). How TV Affects Your Child . Retrieved 2 20121, from How TV Affects Your Child: http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_How_TV_Affects_Your/
Jacoby, J. (2009, 09 27). Silence that idiot box! Boston, Ma, USA.
Kyla Boyse, R. (2010, 18). Television (TV) and Children: Univerisity of Michigan Health system. Retrieved 2 2012, from Television and children: http://www.med.umich.edu/yourchild/topics/tv.htm
National Center for Learning Disabilities. (2008). Executive Function Fact Sheet.
Silverman, D. R. (2011, 09 12). Preschool Children & the effects of television. Retrieved 02 2012, from Preschool Children & the Effects of Fast Paced TV: http://www.drrobynsilverman.com/parenting-tips/preschool-children-the-effects-of-fast-faced-tv-dr-robyn-silverman-talks-about-a-new-study/
Vorisek, A. (2007, 10 08). Television harms our children and families in many way. Retrieved 2012, from Breaking out of the box. Turn off tv. Turn on life: http://mothering.com/green-living/breaking-out-box-turn-tv-turn-life