Whether you love it, hate it or are indifferent to it, television is a fixture in most American homes today. Ninety-eight percent of households in the United States have at least one television set and 34 percent have two.
Forty-nine percent of Americans say they watch too much television.
Television isn't just about the number of television sets people own though. It is also about its practical effects on viewers and the content it presents.
Below are some statistics to consider about television. All of them were taken from the TV Turnoff Network.
The time cost of television watching
- According to the A.C. Nielsen Co. the average American watches 3 hours and 46 minutes of TV each day (that's more than 52 days of nonstop TV-watching per year).
- By the age of 65 the average American will have spent nearly nine years glued to the tube.
- Parents spend 38.5 minutes per week in meaningful conversation with their children is 38.5.
The effect of television on daily life
- The number of videos rented daily in the United States is six million while the number of public library items checked out daily is three million.
- Forty percent of Americans always or often watch television while eating dinner.
How much violence is there, really, on television?
- The average American child sees 200,000 violent acts on television by the time he or she reaches the age of 18.
- Eighty percent of Hollywood executives believe there is a link between TV violence and real-life violence.
Television: It's not just about shows
- An average child sees 30,000 TV commercials in a year.
- By the time s/he reaches the age of 65, the average American will have seen two million TV commercials
Television: The Knowledge Builder?
- While 59 percent of Americans can name The Three Stooges, only 17 percent can name three Supreme Court Justices.
Comments
I think that you need to do more research on a topic before you slander an entire industry. Take a look at Media Violence and Its Effect on Agression by Jonathan Freedman. The research shows that television violence has little or no effect on juvenile crime or desensitization of children to actual real life acts of violence. The research that you cite is skewed, flawed, and does not relate to television violence and real violence. I'm a Financial, Environmental, and Legal Research Consultant. I have been since 1985.
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This is a great article, even though i dont have T.V when i go to friend houses its there. And what is on is scary, i see kids watching people get shot and killed and they laugh aobut it. And sex on T.V is really bad. Kids at a young age dont need to be seeing that stuff. Im glad you guys are trying to help GOD BLESS AMERICA
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1st off i wanna say thank u 4 starting this site, because im doin a report for my skool on the distractions this world has. distractions that keep us away from god, and by the looks of it t.v. is a big contributing factor. I also read some of the other comments, and i see both sides of the story and i will use them as an influence for me to write my paper. so again thank u and god bless - Joshua
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I THINK UR SITE IS PRETTY GOOD... I'M HELPING MY SISTER W/ A RESEARCH PAPER AND SHE'S WRITING ABOUT HOW TV EFFECTS CHILDREN.... IT HELPED ME ... AND IT'S TRUE ... TV IS SO ADDICTING!!!!!!!!!WE USED 2 HAVE A TV IN OUR HOUSE BUT WHEN WE HAD 2 GET IT FIXED, MY DAD REALIZED WHAT A PLEASURE IT WAS WITHOUT IT SO ...YEAH WE DON'T HAVE A SINGLE TV EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE 3 COMPUTERS .. SO, WE 1NCE IN A WHILE WOULD WATCH A DVD... MY GRANDPA NEVER WATCHED TV IN HIS LIFE!!!!!!!!I'M SO PROUD OF HIM ...PEOPLE SHOULD PRAISE THE LORD INSTEAD OF SITTING ON THE COUCH ALL DAY W/ THEIR HEAD IN THE SCREEN!!!!!!aMERICA IS A VERY SPLENDID COUNTRY AND PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE HOW MUCH THE Y4GOT ABOUT JESUS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Anyone can present a page full of statistics-- as any educated American knows, statistics lie. Seeing as how your study came from a group who is against television, your statistics are obviously going to contain some bias. For example, television programs aren't all about violence and sex. What about PBS that shows educational programs? Or the History or Discovery channel? Aside from that, television is a form of entertainment-- if children are mimicking acts they see on t.v. then clearly we must blame the parents. It's pathetic that parents spend 30-something minutes a week talking to their child, but who's fault is that? Many cable programs have parental control locks. And really, to eliminate the correlation between violence and behavior, parents just need to talk to their child about what they see on tv vs. reality and what is right and what is wrong. If anything, watching violent programs will promote ethics and encourage relationships between parents and children, if only parents were to talk to their children and explain to them what they see on tv is not to be acted out because it's "bad." Television isn't the sole reason why children go out and do bad things... your statistics ignore other contributing factors.
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I totally agree to what you
I totally agree to what you are saying
It seems the only time i can talk to my parents is durring a comercial, and even then i cant stand to watch whats on tv. its absolutly pathetic that they are so consumed in the telivishion they can even realize what their looking at. your page is GREAt! i think every one should see it.
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I find it interesting that the comments on this paper which were lacking in lucidity and coherence came from those defending television. Perhaps that should be the focus of your next article.
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I love your comment...When
I love your comment...When people know the position they're defending is in fact wrong, they tend to be incoherent...especially if they're constantly watching TV. Studies show that too much TV watching lowers your coherence level.
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its all right... but really i watch tv all the time but i do great on my school work. me and my family spend lots of time togther... i mean i tell you i watch tooooooo much tv but it hasnt effected me..... maybe it has effected people who watch NASTY, violent stuff on TV!!!!!!!
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