The harm of TV - the whole truth about the destructive influence of television on humans!

Television has a huge impact on the development of a healthy and integral personality: the average person spends 6 hours a day watching TV

We have been nurturing this article for a long time. We can say that this is a painful topic about which it is simply impossible to close your eyes and remain silent! We haven’t watched TV for several years now and now we want to explain our position. And only you can draw conclusions...

There comes a time in every person's life when he is not happy with something and wants positive changes. So at one point we realized that we were using our time too inefficiently, and then we wondered why we didn’t get a lot done and the results of our work left much to be desired. Now we’ll tell you how we see the lives of most people...

Health effects

We will start our conversation about the dangers of watching TV with specific numbers and statistics. Australian scientists conducted research for 6 years, involving thousands of volunteer respondents in their surveys. As a result of the scientific event, the following was found:

• Those people who spend less than 2 hours a day watching TV have an 80% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease than those who watch TV for 4 hours a day or more.
• An additional hour of watching TV programs increases the risk of developing cancer by 9% and heart disease by 11%.
• Diabetes, obesity, hypertension are common consequences of prolonged television viewing.
• And about the dangers of TV for children. The risk of losing visual acuity at a very young age is 70%.

Of course, the reason for this is not the destructive influence of the device itself, the radiation from its elements. It's all about the lifestyle that avid TV viewers lead. They spend a huge amount of time sitting or lying in front of the screen, forgetting about physical exercises and eye exercises. In addition, the amount of food eaten in front of the TV is difficult to control. And, for the most part, this is not healthy food, but fatty, salty snacks, chocolates, dragees, and sweet carbonated water.

What kind of radiation from TV

Older TV models had a kinescope. The degree of radiation in such devices is very high, so it is recommended to view programs at a distance of at least one and a half meters. It is recommended to remember that the radiation is stronger at the rear of the picture tube, which is harmful to humans. Therefore, being behind is permissible for a period of no more than five minutes.

The emitted waves are reflected from the walls; when installing the TV, the distance from it to the wall should not be less than half a meter.

The harm of a new generation TV - liquid crystal or plasma - is less, but installation and viewing rules must be followed.

Effect on vision

Separately, we note the harm of TV to the eyes:

• When we look at a screen, we focus our gaze on one point. This causes deformation of the lens, which may partially (and sometimes completely) lose its ability to change shape. And the reason for this is long-term static load.
• If the screen flickers in the dark, then your pupil changes its size depending on these flashes. And this is a strong strain on the eyes.
• The color tone on the screen is conveyed in several shades. It is difficult for the eye apparatus to read such information, so it gets tired faster. Constant such overexertion leads to rapid (and sometimes rapid) deterioration of vision.

On top of this, incorrect postures of TV viewers lead to deterioration of the body and weakening of muscle tone. And these are the prerequisites for painful osteochondrosis. A sedentary lifestyle takes a toll on your joints. First, you hear a characteristic crunch when moving, and then you observe the development of arthritis.

Electromagnetic fields

Scientists have concluded that an electromagnetic field intensity exceeding 0.2 μT (microtesla) is harmful to humans. And our good old CRT televisions (with a cathode ray tube or picture tube), which still work in many of our homes, generate electromagnetic fields of 2 μT. However, we are talking about the readings of the device in the immediate vicinity of the TV - with distance from it, the magnetic field gradually fades away. The most protected part of a CRT TV is the screen, the safe distance from which will be 1.1 meters. But from the less protected side wall, according to the same scientists, the distance should be 1.2 meters.

Electromagnetic waves have a negative impact on people with weakened immune, hormonal and endocrine systems, but they pose a particular danger to children and pregnant women. Research by Swedish and British scientists shows that people living in conditions of constant exposure to electromagnetic fields have a 3-fold increased chance of developing leukemia. Such people more often suffer from reproductive, vegetative, cardiovascular and even mental diseases. True, the studies do not report at what distance and for what time it is necessary to spend near television screens for such a risk to take on real shape.

Waste of time

The proven harm of TV: this device acts as a professional “time killer”. Steals a lot of your free time.

Remember for yourself or ask your parents: initially, people watched TV only when they had a free minute. Today, many TV viewers spend hours aimlessly sitting in front of their blue screens, instead of doing something really useful and exciting at the same time - their favorite sport, self-education, a new hobby.

People not only devote their free time to TV. While watching TV series and programs, they forget to do even important things. The results of the surveys terrify even researchers: the vast majority of respondents devote all their free time to TV. That is, they narrow their life to a vicious circle of “work - TV - sleep”. Which is really scary.

Getting out of this circle is relatively simple - start devoting your rest time to something else:

• Communicate with family and friends, search for new acquaintances.
• Realization of your creative idea.
• Introducing to fitness, sports, jogging or simple home exercises and periodic walks in the fresh air.
• Making a list of books and sticking to it.
• Creative activity.

Adviсe

It is unacceptable to watch TV while lying down

1. It is unacceptable to watch TV while lying down. This will cause further damage to your eyes. It is better to watch from a position sitting in a chair or on a chair. It is advisable that the furniture is not too soft.
2. It is unacceptable to watch TV in the dark or, conversely, in a very well-lit room. If you are sitting in front of the TV when it is dark outside, you can turn on the night light; if it is too sunny outside, close the curtains.
3. While watching TV, periodically look away from the blue screen, this will give your eyes a little rest.
4. When an advertisement is broadcast, turn down the sound and do not look at the screen.
5. There is no need to be completely trusting of everything that is shown on TV. Remember that there may always be an alternative to what you heard or saw.
6. Break yourself from the habit of eating in front of a screen. Firstly, such actions influence the fact that a person eats many times more than he should, absorbed in the impressions of what is happening on the screen, and secondly, you may succumb to anxiety due to viewing certain pictures, which can affect the digestion process.

Moral decay

Another proven harm of television: mass culture is not aimed at developing and educating people. Its goal is to make us worse than we really are.

Think about what is cultivated in popular TV shows, series and advertising? Greed, fear, sex - these are the main levers that the producers of these projects put pressure on.

It’s rare that a film can manage without the cultivation of violence (and, what’s worse, its approval). Successful heroines are mostly sexy beauties with model appearance. And the happy people on screen are fabulously rich, with endless possibilities. All this together creates a false picture of the world among TV viewers. They begin to feel like losers and begin to envy the on-screen heroes. They strive to adopt false life values ​​from the screen in order to be at least somehow similar to those distant beautiful images.

At the same time, there are catastrophically few worthwhile films and television programs that encourage children and adults to think about what is important, to realize themselves, and to become better. Unfortunately, negativity and base emotions are the most popular “product” on TV. And not a representation of a real happy life, which is available to each of us without “secrets of success” and “new products of the season.”

Nutritionist opinion

Nutritionists are generally sounding the alarm:

1. Human mobility decreases.
2. Eating occurs only while watching TV, which provokes the need for food while watching TV (even when there is no need for food).

These two factors lead to an imbalance between calories consumed and energy expended, resulting in the appearance of overweight, and later obesity. The number of sports activities is also decreasing: people prefer to sit on the couch and watch their favorite talk show, for example, than to meet with friends and play volleyball, football or another outdoor game. This also does not contribute to the consumption of “eaten” energy.

Lack of critical perception

The main mistake of avid TV viewers is to mindlessly absorb what is served from the TV. Many people stop critically evaluating this information and passing it through their own views and system of life values. The method of obtaining it is also of great importance here - the viewer does not have the opportunity to discuss with the author of the idea, object to him, or ask for evidence.

And all this leads to the fact that a person ultimately ceases to distinguish real data from fake data, moral from immoral. And he begins to accept everything said on the screen as the final truth. And the harm from TV and computers is terribly enormous.

To make sure the above is true, remember how you feel after watching television for a long time. You invariably feel tired and sleepy. The brain refuses to work clearly, thoughts are confused. You are unable to rethink the information received. Moreover, you remember only a small part of what you heard/saw.

Possible reasons for development

Lack of interests and goals in life, loneliness can lead to the development of telemania.
Dependence on television is called telemania and it is considered a disease. This condition negatively affects a person’s mental and physical health. Addiction to television indicates that there are no interests, the individual does not have any goals, so she wastes her life in front of the screen.

The development of addiction is influenced by certain factors:

• a lot of free time;
• the desire to live in a fictional world, someone else's life;
• the desire to escape from reality, from one’s problems;
• lack of friends;
• low self-esteem.

More often than others, the following are influenced by this dependence:

• lonely people who have no friends, no people with whom they can spend their time;
• insecure individuals who lack the courage to realize themselves and develop;
• children who sit in front of a screen when their parents do not have enough time for them;
• elderly people who find themselves retired now have no choice but to sit in front of the TV.

Aimless waste of money

Does TV do more good or harm? The question is rhetorical. But one thing is clear - this device makes you poorer. By forcing you to buy something you don’t need, often and at an inflated price.

Don't think that just turning off ads is enough. You watch films, TV series, shows where the same thing is indirectly imposed. And such influence is even more dangerous than direct calls: “Buy!” You see the image of your favorite hero. You want to be like him - right down to your smartphone, your favorite brands of clothing, perfume, and cosmetics. And you buy something that, in fact, is completely unnecessary for you. But social status, public recognition, and personal qualities cannot be gained by simply buying something. This is the result of only long and hard work on yourself.

“Black Fridays”, continuous promotions, tempting discounts are also ways to force you to buy something that is far from necessary. Or even throw away money on useless things. The harm of TV for children is that it imposes that this or that thing will make the child exceptional and happy. In fact, the joy from a trinket is short-lived. And it only creates a desire to get something new.

Mental performance is at risk

The harm of TV is also that continuous viewing of TV series, aimless flicking from program to program reduces mental performance and impoverishes the creative abilities of the brain.

It becomes more difficult for a person to search for new correct solutions not only for complex, but also for everyday problems. Why create, analyze, invent something - there is already a ready-made one, presented on a platter, divided into slices by people on the screen.

Source of negativity

We continue the conversation about the benefits and harms of computers and TV. Remember: what you see on the screen is often a source of negativity, spoiled mood and even stress and depression. After all, it often happened that you turned on the TV in a great mood. And then there is news about terrorist attacks, armed conflicts, brutal murders. It is difficult to perceive such information detachedly. And now there is nothing left of the previously good mood.

Heroes of your favorite films and TV series add fuel to the fire. An impressionable viewer sometimes worries about their relationships, ups and downs, as if they were their own. For many, the death of a hero becomes a personal tragedy.

Of course, empathy is a wonderful feeling. But the problem with spending time on television is that it distances you from your loved ones. You begin to worry about the relationships of the characters in the series more than your own; their problems become closer to you than your family members. You are looking forward to the new episode, but you forget to ask your friend how he spent his vacation, what is the state of health of your parents, what made your child happy today.

Diagnostics

If the absence of television causes apathy and depression, then telemania occurs.
Almost all people with addiction are sure that they do not experience it. A simple experiment will help you make sure that it is still present.

For four days, completely eliminate TV from your life. After this time, check if you have the following symptoms:

• depression;
• weakness for no reason;
• loss of desire to work;
• prostration;
• apathy;
• mood swings;
• suffering;
• feeling of worthlessness;
• acute shortage of “blue screen”.

If several points are present, then telemania is taking place.

Information overload

Speaking about the dangers and benefits of TV, computer and telephone, one cannot help but focus on the fact that all of these together are sources of excess information. Moreover, not useful, but unnecessary, “garbage”. This is an incessant stream of series, television shows, movies, flavored with thousands of commercials.

And all this turns, in the end, into a “porridge” that the brain is simply not able to “digest.” It seems that you learned a lot of new and even interesting things. But it’s hard for you to remember what exactly.

The worst thing is that you fill your head with unnecessary information that is of no value to you personally. And human memory capabilities are limited. You simply don't leave any "slots" for anything truly valuable. Or you completely forget what is dear or useful to you.

The benefits of living without a TV

1. There is a lot more free time.
2. There will be no more advertising in your life.
3. More positive information will appear, and fewer negative emotions that could previously enter the subconscious when watching melodramas or news.
4. Only the necessary information will begin to flow into your brain, nothing superfluous.
5. Children remain healthy, their vision, musculoskeletal system, and psyche are preserved.

Now you know what the influence of televisions is. You understand that television does not bring any benefit, but it does harm. Keep your time in front of a blue screen to a minimum. Think about what you watch and what your children watch. Do not forget that the harm caused by television to a baby’s developing body is very high. Take care of yourself and the health of your children!

Dubious advantages?

As a source of news, television is negative for almost every individual. In the hope of getting as many viewers as possible, channels try to present the news as a sensation, to “outline” it with new, sometimes even false, “tasty” facts. Psychologists have long established that the more interesting the news is to a person, the more it deviates from the norm. Many journalists see this as the meaning of their work. The information shocks, causes pain, outrage, and does not leave anyone indifferent. And all this is extremely negative for the viewer’s psyche.

As for cultural and educational programs, the style of communication, point of view, and degree of literacy of the host and guests of the program do not always contribute to the development of this topic. Individual opinions are dictated as the only correct and binding ones. And it is the viewer who suffers from this obsession.

TV is not an absolute evil. But at the same time, the negative impact of TV on human health, his psyche, lifestyle, moral standards, mental abilities, on the family budget and relationships between people has been proven. TV will be useful if you devote a minimum of time to it - only to get acquainted with the information that you really need and are interested in.

How to overcome addiction

The best way to get rid of TV addiction is to find a hobby you like

1. Don’t watch everything, choose only those programs that are really important. Set aside time to watch educational television programs that will provide you with new information.
2. You need to change your perception. A person must realize that he can live without a TV. To begin with, you need to leave yourself without a “blue screen” for a short period of time, then do it more often.
3. Reduce your TV viewing time. If previously you sat in front of a “blue screen” for four hours continuously, now you need to reduce this time to three, then to two. The main thing is to do it gradually.
4. Replacement method. You need to find something for yourself that can completely absorb all your free time. Give him a hobby, devote yourself to some kind of increase, go in for sports.
5. Don’t forget that in addition to TV, there are loved ones, relatives, and friends in your life; devote time to them, your work, and household obligations.
6. Go to a bookstore. Surely, there will be something interesting that will allow you to be distracted, to penetrate the world of imagination, but at the same time you will be able to develop your mental abilities and engage in self-development.
7. Don't sit mindlessly watching TV. Buy the program, choose the programs you want to watch, that is, first decide what is your priority and what you can refuse.

Child control

Today, television producers also take care of young viewers, offering them high-quality children's content. Digital television offers specialized channels that broadcast cartoons, children's films and educational programs non-stop.

However, there is a risk that the child will not want to limit himself only to the television content addressed to him. That is why the issue of controlling what children will watch when left alone with the TV becomes especially relevant.

Quite recently, a children's remote control appeared on the domestic market. It is equipped with only 10 buttons, each of which adults can program to a specific frequency. The child grows up, and the list of allowed TV channels changes along with him. First there will be cartoons, and then channels about animals, nature and travel will be added.

In addition, you can block unwanted TV channels. You can do this yourself by going to the menu (detailed instructions are available on the Internet), or you can contact the provider’s support service, indicating what exactly you want to restrict.

Mental health and weight gain

For both adults and children, TV poses a danger in terms of weight gain. Almost all people like to chew something while watching a movie, and it’s not always vegetables or fruits. Most often, a person chooses unhealthy and quite high-calorie foods. These can be crackers, chips, hamburgers and other sandwiches.

In addition, I often drink tea and coffee with pastries while watching a movie. Considering that a person sits for several hours in a row and does not expend any energy at all, such excessive eating of food is harmful. This leads to the deposition of fat deposits, which ultimately lead to excess weight. A sedentary lifestyle leads not only to the appearance of unattractive folds of fat, but also to the exacerbation of various diseases. If a person moves little and walks in the fresh air, then his immunity decreases and he becomes susceptible to various diseases.

Constantly watching television leads to an increase in human body weight. People move little and often eat during movies or programs. Scientists say that in such a state a person is able to eat three times more than usual. Frequent overeating is harmful and leads to obesity.

Spending a long time in front of the TV affects a person’s mental state. The viewer worries about the heroes of the films, is nervous, worried. Various changes occur in the body - narrowing of blood vessels, disruption of blood flow.

After crime programs, thrillers, and horror films, the viewer’s nervous system suffers, sleep is disturbed, and health deteriorates. It is recommended not to watch such programs for a long time and before going to bed.

When regularly watching news, programs and films, a person becomes overly nervous and irritable. This is due to the fact that news and films are literally full of scenes of violence and various criminal showdowns. The channels are filled with various information, both useful and completely unnecessary, and over time a person becomes addicted to watching certain programs.

The blue screen affects the psyche of not only adults, but also children. Many parents turn on cartoons for their infants, and as a result, the soulless screen becomes not only a nanny for the baby, but also a teacher. According to studies, most preschoolers spend more than 4 hours a day in front of screens. The worst thing is that parents are quite happy with this and children find themselves under the influence of an uncontrolled information flow.

A seemingly harmless pastime like watching your favorite cartoons can lead to serious consequences. A child often watches TV too close and too long, which ultimately leads to the following consequences:

• vision decreases, eyes get tired quickly;
• a nervous tic develops, the baby involuntarily blinks his eyes;
• posture deteriorates;
• the psyche is disturbed.

During rapid growth, it is generally not advisable for children to spend more than an hour a day watching cartoons and films. If the baby sits more, the skeleton may not form correctly, which will lead to the development of various pathologies.

If the TV is an old model, then the child may suffer from excessive radiation, which will certainly manifest itself after a while. Such children often suffer from respiratory diseases, suffer from migraines and have problems with the endocrine system. The result of constant radiation can be more serious pathologies, for example, blood diseases.