Like most children, I grew up watching television shows such as  “Sesame Street” and “Hannah Montana”. At the age of twelve, I began watching shows such as “The Vampire Diaries”, which I instantly fell in love with. A few days ago, a classmate told me that I shouldn’t watch so much TV because “too much television isn’t healthy” and “people that watch it are dumb”, to which I replied, “How so?” My classmate thought about it but couldn’t give me an exact answer.

Like my classmates, most people have the same idea about television. After searching the word “television” in Google, a number of articles pop up stating the negatives of watching television, but there is hardly anything stating the positives. Most of these articles make the same arguments, that subjecting children to television too early in life can slow development and that television is bad for the human brain. While I agree that children shouldn’t be exposed to television at an early age, it has nothing to do with television being a bad thing. Children are very different from teenagers and adults; therefore, the argument that TV is bad cannot be supported by the effects it has on a very small age group. People argue that TV is bad for the brain because it causes people to be less physically active, which can negatively affect the brain. Therefore, television itself isn’t bad for the brain, but rather the amount of time someone spends not being active is.

While people are eager to list off the negatives of television, there are very few that speak of the positives. Television can actually teach people different things. My thirteen year old brother loves shows like “Outrageous Acts of Science”. A few weeks ago, we went to Six Flags and he began explaining the physics of the roller coasters to me. Now, I had been in AP Physics all year, and while I was able to understand bits and pieces, the rest sounded like gibberish. This wasn't due to my extreme lack of talent in physics, but because of what my brother learned from the shows he watches. My love of TV, on the other hand, has caused me to be very cultured. Television shows often bring up famous works of literature and events in history which has helped me make connections in school and life.

In my life, I am able to enjoy television in a positive way. Watching television, like most things, is okay when watched in moderation. Watching too much TV instead of being active can be bad for the brain just like eating too much of a certain food can be bad for digestion. Television has helped me in more ways than it has hurt me, and I believe the same goes for many others. TV will continue to “live longer and prosper” for many years to come, and hopefully, people will realize that “the truth is out there” about the positives of television.

by Sara Kouvelis