The article “Television and Health,” as well as the statistics compiled by A.C. Nielsen Co., are a convincing reason to avoid watching television. Not only does it lesson our quality of life, it also literally shortens our life because of the negative outcomes. Watching television is a fruitless activity; it is used in place of a sedative after a long day at work. Any coherent thoughts become garbled after watching a television screen for any length of time. It causes us to be inundated with useless advertisements and false reality. In just one year the average child has watched 20,000 television commercials. This time could be better spent zealously pursuing a more positive activity, like music or sports.

Parents today want what is best for their families. Having a nice house and the latest technology is important in today’s society. This is supported by the fact that the average home in the US has more than two television sets. In addition, more than half of Americans pay a monthly fee for cable. This may seem to improve the quality of life, it was the opposite effect. Since this television is on an average of 6 hours, 47 minutes per day, family members are coerced into watching television when they could be exercising or spending time together. Staring blankly at the screen has a phlegmatic effect on their brains. In fact millions of Americans fit the criteria for TV watching as a substance abuse. They exhibit poignant feelings about having the television on and are unable to stop themselves from watching.

Watching TV is not only a waste of time, it has extremely negative consequences for the health of Americans. Researchers have corroborated on comprehensive studies that show obesity to be directly related to the amount of television watched. In their lifetime the average American has watched two million TV commercials. Fast food is unhealthy, and is likely to be shown on a large percentage of those commercials. In addition females develop image problems after watching rail-thin models and actresses on TV. They could develop a more sanguine image of themselves by avoiding television.