Madonna says "TV is Trash". Here are the Top 10 Reasons to Trash
Your TV
Madonna raised some eyebrows when she declared that "TV is
trash" and that she does not let her children Lourdes and Rocco
watch TV, save one movie on the weekend. Madonna: "We have TVs
but they're not hooked up to anything but movies. TV is trash. I
was raised without it. I didn't miss anything. TV is poison."
Getting rid of the family TV is not as horrible as it may sound.
In fact, not allowing her children to watch TV is perhaps the
best decision Madonna could make as a parent. It was certainly
the best decision I made for my children and me. Here are the
top ten reasons why Madonna is right:
1. Heavy TV watchers are twice as likely to be obese.
2. Average US parent spends only 38 min/week in meaningful
conversation with children.
3. TV viewing in young children is associated with ADHD
symptoms later on.
4. Viewing TV violence is the single strongest predictor of
aggression later in life, according to 32-year-study.
5. Children witness 16,000 TV murders by age 18.
6. Viewers are exposed to 40,000 commercials per year on
average.
7. Commercials influence in an estimated $300 Billion/year in
sales.
8. Students who watched an hour/day or less scored the best on
achievement tests.
9. TV is addictive.
10. The Average American watches four hours of TV per day.
There is simply so much else to do in life.
As a parent, I encourage you to make your own decision about
what to do with your TV. Don't take Madonna's word or mine. Take
note of the amount of time you watch TV. Then consider if there
is something better you could do as a family. Also, the next
time the TV is playing just look into your precious children's
eyes as they assume a zombie-like stare. Then take note of how
many times your child nags for something she saw on TV. Finally,
take our TV Addiction Quiz and measure how much TV is
controlling your life.
Once you really examine the costs and benefits of watching TV,
you will probably agree that the former Material Girl is right.
TV is trash. Trash Your TV.