TV is Good For You

Finally! A credible someone is making a credible argument that television is not the devil. In a recent Washington Post article, Dimitri Christakis of the Children’s Hospital in Seattle addresses a number of myths about children and their relationship to television. One of my favorites is his argument that sitting around watching television instead of playing outside does not, in fact, make kids overweight. He states emphatically that being a couch potato is not what causes obesity. “Kids sit around to read, too, but no one suggests that reading causes obesity.” Any causal relationship between obesity and television is more about the temptation to snack while watching TV than it is about the television itself. As a TV snacker myself I can attest to that. I find it especially ironic when I find myself mindlessly eating chips while watching an episode of “The Biggest Loser”

Another favorite? Christakis argues that what children watch and the context in which they watch it is far more important than the sheer number of hours of television viewing in a day. Since the average household has more television than human occupants, kids often wind up watching television alone – and sometimes flip the channel to inappropriate fare without the supervision of parents. Is that a problem caused by television? Or is that more about paying attention to what kids are watching? Numerous technologies exist to help parents block inappropriate content – and promote more positive viewing.

Along those lines, and perhaps most important, Christakis discusses the positive sides of television. Not only is it not a “necessary evil,” but programs like Blue’s clues and Sesame Street can actually help kids make sense of the world around them.

In other words, television, in and of itself, is not an “idiot box.” It can play a positive role in child (and adult) development, but only if we use it wisely. It’s kind of like chocolate – while moderate chocolate consumption can be good for you (hey, I read it on the Internet so I know it’s true), eating three chocolate bars a day isn’t a good idea. Especially in front of the television.