Reasons why you should kick the TV out of your room
By djmarion
@djmarion (4898)
Philippines
March 27, 2008 2:48am CST
"If you think television may not harm you when you use it inside your room, think again, there's a lot more damage that this can cause you more than you know".
Raise your hand if you have a television in the bedroom? How about the kids' bedroom? It's not hard to put a television in every room, especially if you keep upgrading to sleeker, flatter, sharper television sets. I don't have kids, yet I have three televisions in the house, and yes, I have the obligatory flat-panel display in the bedroom because I'm a news junkie who likes to watch CNN in the morning.
It seems to me that lately, researchers are focusing on the effects of having a television set in the bedroom. In a nutshell, having a TV in your sleep sanctuary is bad, very bad, but we already knew that. I guess what we may not have known is how bad it really is, especially when it's in the kid's room. So to bring you up to speed, I've gathered the latest findings hoping to shed some light on this bad habit.
New York Times and IO9 have good articles on the subject so I'll start there. Here's what they say in a nutshell:
TV makes you dumb: In a 2005 study of six Northern California schools, 70 percent of students who had their own TV scored "significantly and consistently" lower on math, reading, and language-arts tests. Those who had computers scored higher. It's believed the TV is a distraction during homework and may interfere with sleep. Seventh graders in Montreal also had the same problem. Those who spent more time in front of the TV, had lower grades. No surprise there.
TV makes you overweight: Several studies have suggested that kids with TVs in their bedroom are likely to be overweight. In a two-year study by the The Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, researchers found that kids snacked less when a device (I'm assuming BOB) was programmed to cut into the child's TV viewing time. Kids weren't inspired to exercise more, they just ate less calories a day. A French study found that boys with TVs in their bedroom were more likely to gain weight.
TV makes you a smoker: Yet, another study of 700 middle-school students between 12 and 14 years old, found that kids with TVs were twice as likely to start smoking. Of those surveyed, 42 percent who smoked had a TV in their bedroom.
TV messes up your sleeping patterns: Ok, so all the above figures have been for kids, but adults are also affected by bedroom TVs. Blog IO9, found a survey conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ American Time Use Survey (ATUS) shows that late night TV watching can control a person's sleeping patterns. Once upon a time, the day and night cycle determined our sleeping patterns, but with modern technology, mainly that television in the room, people's sleeping patterns are getting worse. Those most vulnerable to TV-timed sleep changes are people who work in services sectors like education, health, leisure, and hospitality, and people who live in the Eastern time zone.
There you have it. A few more reasons to kick that bedroom TV out.
7 people like this
27 responses
@argie713 (1809)
• Philippines
27 Mar 08
I have not watch any TV shows for quite while. I have a TV in my bedroom beside my computer. I rarely open my TV since I'm always in front of my computer.
Most of the bad effects of TV are on kids. They do not choose well what they watch. I agree with TV affecting your sleeping pattern most especially when you get bored or the internet is down.
2 people like this
@sarahruthbeth22 (43143)
• United States
30 Mar 08
I guess I am the exception because I would study with the t.v. on and got good grades . so i guess I am not dumb.I have been what they call overweight since Before I watched t.v. or even knew what it was.In fact I have been watching more things on t.v. and I am Losing weight.I have Never had what they call a "normal sleep pattern". I am a night owl. I Never needed 8 hours of sleep.I have a t.v. in my room that Helps me sleep.I am going to keep my t.v. right where it is, in my bedroom.And thankfully, I won't have kids so I don't have to follow these rules.
1 person likes this
@vivasuzi (4127)
• United States
11 Apr 08
:) You are not the only exception, I am too :) I actually was able to focus on my homework MORE if I watched TV. Otherwise I got bored! I needed the distraction to keep my interested. I like to stay up late even if I'm not watching TV. I like to stay up and read, play games, etc.
1 person likes this
@vivasuzi (4127)
• United States
11 Apr 08
Studies mean nothing to me :)
I watched TV when doing homework during college and got great grades! My last semester when I probably watched the most TV, I got straight A's on some of the hardest classes!!
I exercise while I watch TV, so gaining weight is not an issue :)
I don't smoke and hate smoking, TV wouldn't make me smoke.
I don't find TV messes with my sleeping. I go to bed almost hte same time every night b/c I'm tired! I just turn the TV off and pass out same time every night.
Anyway, I still agree that kids shouldn't get a TV in there room until they are at least 16 AND have proven themselves to be good with their homework. I wouldn't let my kids have a computer in their room EVER. I believe all computers should be "family" computers and in the family room or a computer room. I just don't trust computers in a kids room b/c you can't easily see what they are doing.
@steney (1418)
• Philippines
27 Mar 08
My 6 year old wants to have a TV in our room, but I don't approve. I'm aware of the its harmful effects, not to mention the 'yin-yang' imbalance it creates in the room. I think you get too much yang when you have TV or a component inside a room, which makes you active in a place where you should be resting/sleeping. It causes disharmony, thus the negative effect. These must be placed in the living room instead.
1 person likes this
@Arkadus (895)
• Canada
11 Apr 08
I want to call bull so bad. but as I have no real facts to quote or studies to refer to I can't exactly make a pressing argument. Nut here I go anyway, it's got nothing to do at all with wether or not there's a t.v in your bedroom or not it's got to do with things like self control on both fronts, and in the case of a child it's called parents. If you're kids not sleeping enough because he's watching t.v all night it's his fault and yours, for letting him watch that much, for letting him have the t.v in there int he first place. It's both your faults, not the t.v's fault, and certainly not it's location. Sure in the living room it would be harder to do it. But that has nothing to do with anything. I started smoking, got a tv in my room, quit smoking, in that order. (the exception proves the rule, or so they say)
And seriously if there's something on at 3am that you want to watch use a VCR, or a dvd ecorder, or tivo (no idea on the correct spelling) or whatever happens to float your figurative boat.
Day and night has not 'always' dictated sleep patterns. There's been night shifts for a long long time and I'm fairly sure there's also been nightowls for a long long time as well. I know I've always been one, even back when all I had to for entertainment was reading.
@carinio98 (2929)
• Philippines
11 Apr 08
wow i was a tv addict when i was a young boy. wew talk about bad habbits. well i like to put tv on my own room as i like watching tv at night there are a lot of good shows at night like my favorite show "mens room" eheheh i kinda like that shows a lot.
@balasri (26537)
• India
28 Mar 08
I know how to use my TV wisely.I watch only the selected programs in History,National geographic society,Discovery,Animal planet and Hollywood movie channels.If I have one reason for kicking the TV out of the room is the stupid,tasteless commercials with the ugliest models.They are the pain in my ar--.
@winterose (39887)
• Canada
28 Mar 08
we just have the tv in the living room, never had one in the bedrooms, never saw a need for it.
@patgalca (18355)
• Orangeville, Ontario
28 Mar 08
I don't have a television in my bedroom and probably never will. My husband would like one in there but I don't believe in it. The bedroom is for sleeping and, well, other things.
My children don't have televisions in their bedrooms either. If they did, what good would sending them to their room do for punishment? Besides, we would probably never see them if they had a television in their rooms and when it is time to go to bed they would probably put the tv on. I would rather them read if they are not ready to go to sleep.
I just don't believe it is right to have a television in the bedroom.
@secretbear (19448)
• Philippines
29 Mar 08
hi djmarion!
i'm a tv addict. and yeah, i've read a lot of researches too about the harmful effects of watching too much tv. before i would have been scared because i really watch too much tv then. would have been scared but only a little, because it never got to the point where the tv became the center of my life. ^__^;; i had other interests too then.
but i know watching too much tv is bad. aside from the reasons you mentioned, it doesn't just ruin the sleeping pattern, watching too much tv gives you less sleep. and then, sometimes, one might forget to eat because he can't get away in front of the tv. that's for people who don't like to eat while watching tv. and then, you might ditch your friends just because of a program you can't miss. i've always felt like ditching my friends for the sake of Charmed. but i didn't ditch them. however, when we went to a friend's house, that's where i watch charmed. ^__^;; so i guess it also ruins social relationship.
but i don't need to kick out the tv from my room now. what i need to kick out is the computer. i've been watching less tv lately and just staying in front of the computer surfing the net. but then, if i kick our the computer, i would turn to the tv and i would become a tv addict again. i guess i have to kick them out both. that would be a very hard thing to accomplish.
@cefaz_21 (2596)
• Philippines
28 Mar 08
If that's all true..I'm thankful i don't have TV on my bedroom and that I don't watch so many shows either. But there is one phase inmy life that I've been addicted to TV, that was when I was jobless and I stay all day at hoe :)
I think it's all in being disciplined. TV itself is not bad but our watching habits can turn them so bad.
@emmyemoney (251)
• Nigeria
28 Mar 08
TV has come to stay and nothing anybody can do about it.
If they found any problem with TV and its watching let them find solution to it.
@mariah_5 (97)
•
28 Mar 08
[b][/b]
I totally agree with you.The people are so addicted to these idiotic boxes especially in INDIA.In the recent past a tremendous change occured in indian television industry.With several private channels launching every now and then,flooding the audience with so many soaps (serials) which are so ridiculous to watch.They neither give you any knowledge nor teach you anything worthful.But the people are glued to these sets, as its the cheapest entertainment source.
And I find them more dangerous right now than anything else.These serials telecast, have no maral reposibility towards the society, they are injecting immoral values like tricckery, cheating others, betraying your own people,egoism,disrespecting the elders etc.
@maddysmommy (16230)
• United States
28 Mar 08
I have a tv in our bedroom but don't often watch it in there but in our main lounge area. We move it in between our room and our sons room as he uses it for his play station games and or to watch his cartoon dvds. That is turned on when we have play dates at our home or guests in the weekends or if him and his dad play games in the weekends.
I can understand some of the reasons you mentioned above but not all of them. Not sure how it contributes to smoking though.
It all comes down to making sure that we are monitoring tv usage and that it's not the end all of entertainment. There are other things to do than just watch tv.
@ShepherdSpy (8544)
• Omagh, Northern Ireland
28 Mar 08
TV's are not for bedrooms..despite my having been in a furniture place recently and saw a flatscreen TV built into the foot of a Bed! I've never had a set in the bedroom of a place I rented,or here in my own place..but can relate to them being a bad influence in a Kid's room,with disruption of sleep and such.I have no kids as yet,but my Sister's family all have TV's and VCR or DVD in their rooms..but they're no couch potatoes..they play sports,go out with friends,etc..My Brother in law is the only Smoker in the house, and he seems to spend the least time in front of their Living room TV!
@mickeydavis (335)
• Singapore
28 Mar 08
For me, Its good to kick to TV out of your room because having a TV in the room tempt you to watch anytime you want which is not so good. Aside from the radiation you can get from the TV, you also have less time to sleep as the room is provided as sleeping area and private place to do your personal things. Living room is where the TV should be placed.
@janujennifer (664)
• Philippines
27 Mar 08
That is such a wonderful article! There is a tv in my mom's room, and you're right, it does mess up the sleep patterns - sometimes she's still watching tv until 11pm, and she would wake up a little cranky in the morning, but we can't kick out the tv out of her room because she prefers watching while lying in the bed - its her way of relaxation from a long day in the office. After dinner is her only time to watch tv, so we let her have it.
@joxjob (12)
• Malaysia
28 Mar 08
I do have TV in my bedroom. But rarely use it. Although i only use it for my Playstation. All the news, new info i get it from the internet. I agree my sleeping patterns has mess up big time but its not from the TV, its from the internet! hehehe. I guess everything has to do it by its limit.