Are You Addicted To TV?
Are You Addicted To TV?
The amount of time people spend watching television is astonishing ... more than on any single activity except work and sleep.
“TV: Are You Addicted?”
This question appeared on the cover of the February 2002 issue of the Scientific American (pp. 74-80). It is not being raised by so-called “religious people” who oppose television as they have opposed every modern form of entertainment – motion pictures, radio, etc. This question is now being raised by serious, main-stream scientists Robert Kubey and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, in an article entitled “Television Addiction.” In their research they are finding that television seems to get a hold on people in a way not previously observed with other media: “Even researchers who study TV for a living marvel at the medium’s hold on them personally.”
Evidence Of Addiction
Because of its association with drugs, the term “addiction” may be offensive to some people, but all the criteria used by psychologists and psychiatrists to “define substance dependence ... can apply to people who watch a lot of television.” Particularly significant is the fact that people experience “withdrawal symptoms when they cut back on viewing.”
Indeed, in experiments where families voluntarily agreed to stop viewing for a month, or even a week, researchers found that many could not even abstain long enough to finish the study! According to the authors, without TV to fill their time, many people became irritable and aggressive, and just did not know what to do with themselves. This can also be true of Christians such as the retired man who started watching TV everyday and got hooked. He said, “If it were not for TV, I’d go crazy!”
Not all researchers agree on the use of the word “addiction” but, according to the Scientific American article, “Millions of people sense that they cannot readily control the amount of television they watch.”
Effects Of TV
Watching television can be used to relax, but there are unexpected side effects. For example, after the set is turned off, this article reports that “the feelings of passivity and lowered alertness continue,” there is “more difficulty in concentrating,” and “moods are about the same or worse.” It reports that some say that “television has somehow absorbed or sucked out their energy, leaving them depleted.”
Also, watching TV gobbles up leisure time: “The amount of time people spend watching television is astonishing ... more than on any single activity except work and sleep.” Consequently, it can interfere with the work a Christian could be doing for the Lord. A cartoon shows a man on the phone saying, “Get together on Saturday afternoon to repair the church? Let me check my schedule.” He is pictured looking at TV Guide!
Why Is TV Different?
Television has physiological and psychological effects not produced by other traditional media. Its cuts, zooms, pans, and sudden noises act on our instinctive brain functions, grab our attention, and hold it. Some people tell researchers, “I feel hypnotized when I watch television.” Others say, “I just can’t keep my eyes off it.” A TV set will interfere with conversation even when it is turned down. As one observer wrote, “When I am engaged in conversation while a TV set is on ... I cannot for the life of me stop from periodically glancing over to the screen ... not only during dull conversations but during reasonably interesting ones as well.”
Years ago Christians used to visit one another to get better acquainted, to informally share their faith and Christian experiences, and for pastoral care in times of trial and suffering. Today such visitation is much less frequent – the omnipresent TV undoubtedly being one of the causes.
In passing, it should be mentioned that the computer screen appears to have as great a hold as the TV screen. The article says, “Much less research has been done on video games and computer use, but the same principles often apply.” Maintaining control of our leisure time is more of a problem than ever because TV sets and computers are everywhere.
The Content Of Television
Much of what appears in television programs has been justly criticized. Indeed, the many cable channels make available almost anything anyone would want to watch – both good, bad and indifferent! Obviously, we all should be selective about what we watch. All sets have an “off” switch. When a Christian found himself actively seeking programs having nudity and sexual content, he had the cable channel, initially requested and paid for by an adult child, taken out of his home!
The question of what to watch, or whether to watch at all, is a matter of conscience. Romans 14:1 refers to such matters as “disputable” and presents the principles we are to apply in connection with such matters of conscience. First, “Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind” because “each of us will give an account of himself to God” (Rom. 14:5 NIV). Second, we are not to impose our consciences upon others: “Who are you to judge someone else’s servant?” (Rom. 14:4). Any “counseling” which comes across as criticism can foster hypocrisy in our brethren. For example, one elder kept his TV set on a rolling cart so it could be quickly wheeled into a closet when the doorbell rang. In pretending not to have a TV, he was trying to avoid being “evil spoken of” and being harassed by his brethren. Third, if your conscience is really clear, you “do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil” (Rom. 14:16).
Overcoming The Addiction
The problems arise not so much from TV itself but “from heavy or prolonged viewing,” and from addiction. The Scientific American article suggests some steps to take to overcome addiction. First, recognize that there is a problem. Keeping a record of how much you watch may yield unexpected results. Second, turn the set off when the program is not very interesting. Third, choose the program you want to watch ahead of time instead of “channel-surfing.” And fourth, engage in other activities instead of always turning on the TV. Paul writes, “All things are lawful to me, but I will not be brought under the power of any” (1 Cor. 6:12 JND). Christians should ask themselves, “Am I under TV’s power?” If so, they should do something about it.
By Alan Crosby