Reasons why you should kick the TV out of your room
Fri Mar 14, 2008 11:40PM EDT
See Comments (105)
Raise your hand if you have a television in the bedroom? How about the kids'
bedroom? It's not hard to put a television in every room, especially if you
keep upgrading to sleeker, flatter, sharper television sets. I don't have kids,
yet I have three televisions in the house, and yes, I have the obligatory flat-panel
display in the bedroom because I'm a news junkie who likes to watch CNN in the
morning.
It seems to me that lately, researchers are focusing on the effects of having a television set in the bedroom. In a nutshell, having a TV in your sleep sanctuary is bad, very bad, but we already knew that. I guess what we may not have known is how bad it really is, especially when it's in the kid's room. So to bring you up to speed, I've gathered the latest findings hoping to shed some light on this bad habit.
New York Times and IO9 have good articles on the subject so I'll start there. Here's what they say in a nutshell:
TV makes you dumb: In a 2005 study of six Northern California schools, 70 percent of students who had their own TV scored "significantly and consistently" lower on math, reading, and language-arts tests. Those who had computers scored higher. It's believed the TV is a distraction during homework and may interfere with sleep. Seventh graders in Montreal also had the same problem. Those who spent more time in front of the TV, had lower grades. No surprise there.
TV makes you overweight: Several studies have suggested that kids with TVs in their bedroom are likely to be overweight. In a two-year study by the The Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, researchers found that kids snacked less when a device (I'm assuming BOB) was programmed to cut into the child's TV viewing time. Kids weren't inspired to exercise more, they just ate less calories a day. A French study found that boys with TVs in their bedroom were more likely to gain weight.
TV makes you a smoker: Yet, another study of 700 middle-school students between 12 and 14 years old, found that kids with TVs were twice as likely to start smoking. Of those surveyed, 42 percent who smoked had a TV in their bedroom.
TV messes up your sleeping patterns: Ok, so all the above figures have been for kids, but adults are also affected by bedroom TVs. Blog IO9, found a survey conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ American Time Use Survey (ATUS) shows that late night TV watching can control a person's sleeping patterns. Once upon a time, the day and night cycle determined our sleeping patterns, but with modern technology, mainly that television in the room, people's sleeping patterns are getting worse. Those most vulnerable to TV-timed sleep changes are people who work in services sectors like education, health, leisure, and hospitality, and people who live in the Eastern time zone.
There you have it. A few more reasons to kick that bedroom TV out.
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Comments on Reasons why you should kick the TV out of your room
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Join in the discussion. Here you'll see the comments in the order they were posted.
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27 Posted by dracorum@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:47PM EDT Report Abuse
Actually, seeing how most of these are opinion posts and little in the way of logical arguments, I'll attempt to steer this towards a more enlightened thought process. 1. This article is arguing correlations. Simplified, when A happens B follows. Therefore, the argument is A causes B. This is, in actuality, a fallacy caused through assumptive reasoning. Just because B follows A does not mean A is the cause of B. Therefore, we have a correlation but no real proof that A is the cause. 2. Second, there is no single cause for a child's lack of intellectual stimulation. Having worked both as a teacher and a daycare worker I can safely say, with past experience as my point of reference, that there is little correlation between one single cause and the cumulative effect of supposed stupidity. As it was previously stated, there are many factors that influence a child's learning. Some of which include: A. Parents. B. Culture. C. Economic Status. D. Friends. E. Region. F. Country/State/City of Origin. G. Teachers H. Media. All of these can, by themselves, can create a correlation. However, they don't begin to effect the child until combined to create what is essentially a domino effect. Also, remember this article is not wrong in argument, but rather in the statement. The writing assumes the reader will interpret the reading to mean that TV "does" rather than "may". Yes, TV MAY be an attributing factor, but little else can be argued or assumed.
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28 Posted by acorbit@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:45PM EDT Report Abuse
TV makes you a smoker? I'm not following the statistic cited to show this relationship. Namely, "42 percent [of children] who smoked had a TV in their bedroom." This would seem to mean that 58 percent of smoking children didn't have a TV in their room. If this difference is truly statistically significant, then the proportion of smoking children who don't have TVs in their rooms is larger that the proportion who do. So, how is this evidence that TV increases smoking in children? It seems a relevant piece of information is missing, namely, the general statistic telling what proportion if children have TVs in their rooms at all. If the proportion of smoking children with TVs in their room is significantly larger that the number of children with TVs in their room at large, then we have an interesting and useful statistic. However, since we don't have anything to compare the 42 percent statistic with presently, the number is rather meaningless.
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29 Posted by vajoseph@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:30PM EDT Report Abuse
Come on! It isn't television that does this. It is parents! Parents choose to put television in children's rooms not children. Quit blaming the wrong thing. If you want children to be smarter, thinner, and more rested, parents need to make smarter choices for their children. Quit blaming the box, start making parents take responsibility for their own children!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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30 Posted by lloydll96@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 6:55PM EDT Report Abuse
that is not right because even if you do have a tv in the room may only watch it at ceartain times. so maybe if your kids play quiet a few sports they would mist likely be okay
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31 Posted by rohitcuny@verizon.net on Mon Mar 17, 2008 3:45PM EDT Report Abuse
There are people who suggest that there might not be causality here - that the same thing causes both low math scores and TV in bedrooms. But ultimately one has to use one's common sense. I myself do not have a TV in the bedroom, but I do find it difficult to turn off the TV in the living room - "Just a little while longer", I say to myself. It is clear that time spent in watching TV is time NOT spent on other things, whether it is studying or sleeping or playing a game which exercises your mind. So I suspect that TV in bedroom IS a cause of lower performance in sleep and studies.
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32 Posted by mangamaster949@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:05PM EDT Report Abuse
Stop taking the responsibility of the parent away! Your child is a smoker?? Let's blame television. Your child is violent?? Let's blame television. Your child is having unprotected sex?? Let's blame television. I'm 14, I watch television, and have perfect grades, thin body, and haven't had sex,done drugs, smoked, or tried alcohol. If you say that that's just me, all my friends and siblings are like this as well. It is because if a one of us does something wrong, we don't blame television as an easy excuse to get out of trouble. A parent is there to take care of children, teach them moral values, and tell them right from wrong. And the guy who wrote this doesn't even have children??? How can you even take his opinion? As for adults, I can't really argue that because I am not one.
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33 Posted by thewintenburgs@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:06PM EDT Report Abuse
Yet another blame someone/something else for poor parenting. Ok so test scores are lower- is it b/c of the tv or the fact that the child whole life the TV was used as a babysitter so the parents did not have to deal with them? Another correlation of unrelated data.
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34 Posted by jaydetiger on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:29PM EDT Report Abuse
"%
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35 Posted by rioohkei on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:42PM EDT Report Abuse
My father keeps his TV on all night... Usually without realizing he turns it on in his sleep because he sleep walks and just generaly does a lot of odd, random stuff in his sleep. Once I fall asleep, I'm usually down for the night... Even if I wake up, I know that if I turn the TV on I am up for the next 12 hours... So I don't turn it on after I lay down... As long as you keep track of things and don't let anything get out of hand, I don't see a problme with an ADULT having a tv in the bedroom... Kids? heck NO! Get it out... But adults? Just keep it off at night and you should be fine.
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36 Posted by lmm1019@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 6:55PM EDT Report Abuse
Wow...smoking seems to fit into everything these days!!! Did you do a poll on how many children who DON'T smoke have a TV in their room??? Most of the things that come out now-a-days as far as "this causes this" just makes me laugh...I think you are all pulling at string her to discover the next big thing!
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37 Posted by mclapton@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:13PM EDT Report Abuse
ok #1. i can see that watching too much tv could have an affect on your weight. that is sensible because you are inactive. #2. as far as making you dumb, it depends on what you are watching. #3. saying that having a tv in your room will make you a smoker is probably one of, if not the most, stupid comment I have ever heard. maybe you have been watching too much tv.
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38 Posted by cnwvets@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:27PM EDT Report Abuse
The article is full of blarney, which is proper for St Patrick's Day. Our son had a TV in his room and he is now 23 and is very smart, has a terrific vocabulary (which he did not get in the school system).In sixth grade he received the President's Award (from Bill Clinton).So let the do-gooders pick another subject (since cigarettes are no longer a big topic). Sick and tired of the do-gooders trying to force their ideas on the rest of us.
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39 Posted by jarabine on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:28PM EDT Report Abuse
I did not know that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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40 Posted by justintimejds@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:45PM EDT Report Abuse
Well, this study may be real in general, but I am a student with a T.V. in my bedroom and I generally score higher on tests and get good grades. I may be a bit over weight, and may not get as much sleep (good sleeping patterns) as I should, but I also HATE smoke. May be it is that I mostly just watch cartoons or the news on T.V., but the variable (Having a T.V. in your room) is too vague.
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41 Posted by jdrown@ameritech.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:31PM EDT Report Abuse
What a great article. I am going to use it for my freshman composition students to examine faulty reasoning and creating cause/effect relationships improperly. Thanks for the great resource
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42 Posted by monkeygirl822@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:25PM EDT Report Abuse
This is just silly!!! You allow yourself and your children to do these things!!! Your child will smoke if you don't explain to them the effects of such an action and put consequences in place for doing it. Child obesity is another issue entirely; this is due to lack of parental involvement. Our parents made us go outside and spent time with us while we were out, playing baseball or soccer or something of the like(and I grew up with a single mom who worked two 40 hour a week jobs to keep me and my three siblings afloat). A lot of parents today use the TV as a babysitter, hence the reason so many children have one in their room, leaving your child inactive and lacking real communication. I had a TV in my room all growing up as did my husband and neither of us are overweight, nor have we have even tried a cigarette. So, parents get up and do your job, be a parent-because the 58% who aren't smoking and the 30% who have high test scores probably have TV's in their rooms too they just have parents who talk to and interact with them!!
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43 Posted by mlemoney on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:23PM EDT Report Abuse
Very interesting how we always have reasons why things have always gone bad, but little initiative and insight to stop these from happening in first place.
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44 Posted by hollyboo@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:20PM EDT Report Abuse
I have a tv in my room and on last years standardized test (occt) I scored a perfect score in 2 out of 3 subjects I also make straight As, I dont smoke or drink or do anything harmful to my health, and I am not overweight. Also, I'm 14 and in 8th grade.
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45 Posted by melascott@att.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:15PM EDT Report Abuse
If 42% of kids who smoked had a TV in there room...that means 58% didn't, which would mean that NOT having a TV in your room makes you more likely to smoke. Duh!
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26 Posted by mrperkins100@att.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:28PM EDT Report Abuse
Both of my children of tv's in their rooms. They both have 4.0 GPA's, one is ranked at the top of their class the other is a Who's Who Among American students. Studies are usually biased and therefore rigged.