what happens to a kid who has lived for 6 years without watching tv?

Question

i mean, im not looking for some lame obvious answer, we all know it would eventually do good to the kid, but im wondering more specifically, what happens personality wise? in character? in thinking?

dear galo, lol, do you know the meaning of this website?

Answer 1

I knew several kids in my childhood who didn't have TV (that wasn't such a long time ago, it was 80's). Then, I also know one teenager (18 now) who hasn't had TV at home (I guess he has seen some shows somewhere, but not before he turned 6). All the cases were due to some religious reasons, but as their friend I never saw anything weird or wonderful in these kids. The only common factor I can think of is that all of them practice one or two sports, and are physically quite fit (not world class athletes, but very well above average). They know what happens in the world (news are not for TV only) and are as educated as every other kid (you can get all the information you see in TV from books also). They are not socially isolated (they have "normal" friends like me), and definitely they were not bullied in school because they had no TV. Children seem to accept differences way better than adults, if their parents don't plant that kind of prejudices in their little minds. Later on in life I've heard that these families were thought as strange by other people, but for us kids it didn't matter. There are both introverts and extroverts in children without TV, like there are in all of us. So, what comes to personality, I've never seen anything different in these people.

Personally I've been without TV for last 6 years (no religious reasons there, I just don't need it), and I haven't missed it a bit. Well, I spent a lot of time around my friends place during Olympic games, but it was a lot more fun to watch with friends anyways :)

Answer 2

Why would it eventually "do good to the kid" to not have TV? Sesame Street has been helping kids for how many years? Kids also learn a ton of stuff from channels like Discovery, Animal Planet, PBS and yes, Nickelodeon. Even watching something like Wheel of Fortune can help a kid with word formation, proper spelling, and recognizing common adages. With an answer like "Neil Armstrong", it could even spawn a discussion on who he was and be turned into a learning experience.

TV is also a social phenomenon. If a particular child is the only one who didn't see "Raven" last Saturday, that child won't be ready to contribute with the group people who did. I remember "playing" Star Wars and Grease and Westerns and all kinds of things as a kid. It wasn't just vegging out in front of a TV, it allowed us to be creative and come up with situations that those characters might have faced. In effect, we were 'writing' cohesive stories - stimulating our imaginations.

I don't believe that no TV is a good thing. I think that it's an easy scapegoat. A parent doesn't have to let the kid watch CSI, NYPD Blue, Grey's Anatomy, and other adult programs. A parent should be supervising what goes into their home and having discussions if a child sees a program like that. TV isn't the enemy, it's parents who don't know how to use it appropriately.

TV can open a whole new world of things that they may not otherwise be exposed to. It's not just about bad language and violence - this is a moron's argument. It's about having information at your fingertips. Your kid can learn about crocodiles, earthquakes, parrots, battleships, how Neil Armstrong became an astronaut, how cheese is made, and all types of things that the parents don't know and schools don't cover. How does this make them impure, prone to violence, and a worse person? For the last 50+ years people have watched TV. Gunsmoke and Bonanza didn't turn that generation into gun slinging, injun hating, drunken fools. I'd guess that Bill Gates had a TV growing up, and he seems to have not lost too many brain cells and it didn't stifle his creativity.

A kid who lived for 6 years without TV would probably be just fine if there were other activites outside the home for the child to do. It won't kill the kid, but it may mean they are more uneducated and unaware about a ton of things. As I said, I just think that "TV IS BAAAAD" is a uninformed BS argument by people who will blame anything and anyone but themselves for the ills of society and the bad behaviour of their kids.

Personality wise, the kid may not have the same ability to interact on certain topcs as other kids would. He won't be included in discussions about certain things. He may be branded "weird" by other kids. If he's fed garbage about how destructive TV is and then parrots it back, then he'll be more likely to be beat up and will be an even larger pariah. His thinking may be more closed. If he hasnt been taught that people of all different races can live together (Sesame Street), then he may have additional difficulty adapting to that. If he hasn't watched a shuttle launch or seen footage about the stars, then he may never be inspired to become an astronaut. He may not learn that the dork can be friends with the cheerleader and that being a feminist is ok (Saved by the Bell). How many 'rocket scientists' became such because of Star Trek? Tons.

Poor kid.

Answer 3

Living without tv is all well and good as long as other activites fill up the time that tv would have taken. In this case, I would say that such a child would develp a strong moral character and a better than average work ethic. Now, if no activites are used to replace the time spent on tv, then the kid could develop a much narrower view of the world than normal.

Answer 4

any child not raised by tv should have a clear understanding of the world in which he or she should live in without the intervention of hollywood .they will be independant thinkers not having the tv make up there mind on who they should vote for every time the polls predict who is in the lead . a child without tv will be a moral child. and there heros would be those they come into contact with . a child without tv will not be crying over this silly guy who died chasing stingrays outside his elements . a child without tv will find his or her teacher or community leader or mom and dad to be persons to imulate and would pattern ther lives after these morally driven people.
but then its all a dream perants have replaced good books with silly cartoons . kids are not building boxcarts, spinning tops and skipping ropes ., they get a steady diet of tv and we wonder why there attention span is gone and the national grade average is D we wonder why the kids are getting fat and killing one another by trying out the new wrestling move and bringing guns to school . i could go on but i woyuld love to see a world without tv as a matter of fact i would love to see the world spend just one day without watching tv lets call it world no watch tv for one day (W.N.W.T.F.O.D) BUT ITS ONLY A DREAM .

Answer 5

Unquestionably the kid would be a self-righteous snob who would make sure that everyone within a fifteen foot radius was aware he or she had gone without TV for 6 years. He or she would likely have all sorts of annoying things to say about the ill effects of TV and, indirectly or explicitely, would exude how special and better he or she was than the rest of us. In short, the kid would be the most annoying person you'd ever met.

Answer 6

To completely keep a child away from TV that long might cause culture shock when entering school. My son didn't know what power rangers were but the other kids pretended so he wanted to see them. We stuck to sesame street and Clifford but when he started school they talked in class about the shuttle explosion, the war, and other news items that I had tried to keep him from. Some of this bothered him to the point he would cry.

Answer 7

They'd be more disciplined. Doing really well in school. have less toys, and care not for junk food. They'd be ultimately loved by the parents -- in other words a perfect child. Impossible!

Answer 8

i think the kid woquld be better off.because [s]he doesnt see all that violence and is not exposed to all that iwant that from commercials.but it could do social damage kids at school would call the kid weird and [s]he couldnt join in on conversations like did you see spongebob last night.but it is a good idea.i would probably let like 2 hrs on a kid station like disney or nickelodeon

Answer 9

I would guess that someonr who lived without TV would read more. I've heard that reading engages the mind more than tv watching.

Answer 10

Most of the stuff on tv is not condusive to your child's development and education.