One in five Americans between the ages of thirteen to eighteen watch almost 35 hours of TV each week (Television and Children). That is almost enough hours to put in at a full time job. When you think about it that means some students spend more time watching TV than any other activity besides sleeping. Wouldn’t you want your child to be doing something better than sitting at the TV all day? Television’s impact on reading and other academic skills depends not only on the amount of television being watched but also on what is being watched.
Time spent watching television severely limits time for other activities. There are plenty of things going on after school both in the elementary level as well as high school and college. Sports, clubs, and volunteer work are some things students can be doing rather than spending their free time in front of the tube. Childhood is a period of growth and children need to converse with other children their age as well as adults. Telev
Dennis Karpowitz states “many recent studies indicate that excessive television viewing may have a detrimental effect on learning and school performance. The hours spent viewing television interferes with homework and limits the time available for other ways of learning. If a child is not performing well academically, television watching may be a strong factor contributing to the problem” (Karpowitz). In a national education study, students reported spending four times as many hours each week watching TV as doing homework (MediaFamily.org). That statistic should be reversed and students would be doing better in school. Heavy television viewers show the greatest decline in reading ability. Television is a huge distraction to students when they should be getting their work done.
It’s pretty simple, read a book and you will get better the more you read. Another interesting study showed that children who watch TV mainly for entertainment were less likely to spend tim
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