I love television. Yes, I know many do in this country, and I am not alone. At times, though, I wonder if our nation’s apparent addiction to television is more of a hindrance than a helpful tool.

It seems more and more children are diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder than ever before. Now, I am by no means saying watching television has caused this in children, but I do believe today’s children do not have a high attention span due to television.

They are used to being entertained for a half-hour, or even less with commercials advertising soda and junk food and do not have to try to pay attention. These children are not accustomed to reading or imagining on their own, thanks to the development of television programs. Sure, there are some educational programs for children that attempt to teach the importance of sharing and not hitting, but it seems there are more aimed merely to have the child sit in front of the boob tube for hours on end with practically no educational value.

This relates back to children no longer having an active imagination. They no longer have to imagine what things look or sound like because the wonder of television has done this for them. Maybe these days children don’t have to try as hard, and usually don’t, because they are used to having something entertain them and are somewhat lacking in the ability to entertain themselves.

I do agree there are many programs and networks on the air right now that do offer educational programming for all ages. The History Channel, A&E, PBS and, at times, TLC have educational programming which can enlighten and also allows you to offer bits of information in class when relevant. There have been many times I was able to relate information I acquired from a program on the History Channel in a classroom discussion, and more often than once I was correct with my reference.

Obesity in the youth of the United States is on the rise. Again, I am not saying television makes a child overweight, but in the time a child would be outside playing with other children the time is instead spent in front of the television. Sitting in front of a glowing box all day is not healthy, especially for a child. With fast-food commercials offering pieces of what I am assuming is chicken and fried strips of mostly chemical French fries, children are also not getting the nutritional information they need. You may argue they learn this in the education system, and this is true in most areas, but if you think back, which do you remember with the most clarity: your gym teacher talking to you about health food or your favorite McDonald’s commercial?

Now, on to the dreaded MTV. I admit I watched “The Real World,” with the Seattle and New Orleans casts being my personal favorites, when I was in high school. I even watched “Date My Mom” while insomnia had control of my life. Nearly all of the programming on MTV lacks in substance and seems to be an escape from what is going on in life. The shows do not promote morals, nor do they attempt to pass themselves off as anything but entertainment. Maybe this is the reason shows on MTV are so popular: they are nothing but a bunch of 20-somethings being hyperbolic versions of themselves.

The point of this article, you may be wondering: television is taking over the world. Seriously. It’s everywhere and something we as a culture and generation have grown dependent on, both for information and entertainment. I am not asking you to hold anti-television rallies where you break appliances or anything like that. I mean, if you are going to break your television and it’s in good condition, give it to me. I might not watch it, but I could sell it or donate it to someone who may need it.

Television is great for entertainment, but when it becomes the sole source of entertainment and begins to interfere with the way we, as a society, and how we interact and communicate; maybe then it’s time to tone down the TV. I’ll leave you with a thought on television from author David Frost: “[Television is] an invention that permits you to be entertained in your living room by people you wouldn’t have in your home.”