Page 53 - Exercise 2A

Page 53 - Exercise 2A

Television

In today’s world, television is everywhere. However, it hasn’t always been like that. In 1945, there were only 7,000 TV sets in the USA. Now almost every household in developed countries has got at least one TV. For many people it’s the most important source of news and entertainment. However, the growth of TV raises some important questions.

Are we all becoming ‘couch potatoes’? A study in the USA showed that the average young person watches TV for 3-4 hours a day.

What is this doing to their health? Studies show that there is a link between TV and health. A lot of children and teenagers don’t get enough exercise, because they spend too much time in front of the TV. There is also a link with education. If children are watching TV, they aren’t doing other things, such as reading or playing a musical instrument.

Is it good for families? When TV first started there were only a few TV channels, and TV sets were expensive, so everybody in the family used to watch the same programmes together. Now satellite TV brings hundreds of different channels to our screens and many families have more than one TV, so members of the family all watch different programmes. Is this good for families?

If they don’t share experiences, do they have less to talk to each other about? And shouldn’t parents know what their children are watching?

Is it OK to show violence on TV? According to research in the USA, the average 18-year-old has watched 40,000 murders on TV. Does this make young people more violent? The answer seems to be ‘yes’, but it’s very difficult to prove. We don’t advertise cigarettes on TV because young people might start smoking so should we also ban violence, because young people might become more violent?

TV is now a big part of most people’s lives. In many ways, it’s made our lives richer, as we can watch almost anything that we want, when we want. But has it also made us lazier, less friendly and more violent?