A TV in Every Room? Just Say No

Chris Pirillo of Lockergnome recently stated the following:

The effects of television today cannot be easily summed up as simply good or bad. The viewing of television is more than the subject matter viewed. The loss of time to do other things can be more the problem. Time to view television grows larger with each year of life in the age of the cathode ray tube and liquid crystal screen.

I agree. The amount of time that people spend in front of the television is incredible.

But the days of the family gathering in front of the TV with a bowl of popcorn to watch a show are long gone. These days there seems to be a TV in every room, and everyone goes to their own space in the house to watch their favorite show.

How sad.

I must admit that my house has two TVs. I love TV, and so does everyone in my family. Sometimes the convenience of two TVs is helpful to retain peace in the household.

However, my children will never have a TV in their bedroom. My wife and I just don't think that it's healthy. We would rather see them playing outside or spending their TV time with us watching shows as a family.

I think that we are fairly typical in our viewing habits. We all enjoy various sitcoms, cartoons, game shows. Who doesn't?

However, much of the TV that we watch is educational. My 8 year old daughter is a huge fan of This Old House, Trading Spaces, the History channel, and Discovery.

We enjoy watching those shows together and have all learned something from them. How else would we have found out that T-Rex was a scavenger and not the ferocious hunter of Jurassic Park fame?

I agree with Chris Pirillo that TV has sapped much of the time that we used to spend doing hobbies or talking with others.

With judicious use, however, it does not have to become the mind-numbing, isolationist activity that it has become.

The TV can be an interesting educational supplement and an enjoyable family activity.

Do you really need a TV in every room?

I don't think so.