10 Reasons Some Families Ban TV

Some households in the United States live without a television. Other families limit the viewing of television on a general basis or for specific periods of time. The reasons behind these television bans are varied, depending on the family. Here are ten of the reasons that TV is sometimes banned in the homes of some families.

1. Creativity – Watching television is a passive activity. You may be able to learn things from what you watch, but you are not actively involved in any thoughtful creativity when watching television. Parents will sometimes ban television from their homes to encourage their children to be involved in more creative home activities.
2. Reading – For many kids, television has replaced the reading of books that used to occupy many children. Reading helps develop vocabulary skills, deeper learning and use of the imagination. Without a television, children are much more likely to turn to books for entertainment and learning.
3. Morality – Some homes ban television for moral reasons. These families desire to limit the exposure of their children to examples of immoral behavior that can be found in a simple scan of television channels.
4. Religion – For some, it is more than morality, it is a mandate of their religion. Some religions, such as the Amish, do not allow any modern devices, others have specifically banned television in the homes of their members.
5. Time management – Families are very busy these days and some have found that removing the television, or at least limiting its viewing time, keeps them from being distracted from more important tasks such as homework, music and sports practice and family activities.
6. Financial – Some choose not to have a TV in their home for financial reasons. It may that their funds are extremely limited; or it may be just a commitment to live a more frugal lifestyle that eliminates nonessentials.
7. Information control – Parents often times that don’t have enough control over what is entering the minds of their children through television programming. These parents will either ban the TV or closely monitor and limit what their family watches.
8. Dependence – Television can easily become the home ‘babysitter’ for parents. To break themselves of this habit, some parents have chosen to remove the television from the home. This forces them to be more creative and interactive with the parenting of their children.
9. Family relationships – Families have found that television can become a distraction that inhibits the interaction among the different members of the family. Removing the television or limiting its viewing times can help the family develop stronger relational bonds.
10. Punishment – A ban on television viewing is sometimes used as a disciplinary measure. This is particularly prevalent as a punishment for receiving poor grades in school.

For every home that is without a television or limits its use, there are many more that have multiple sets in operation most of the time. Others have simply converted their ‘screen time’ to the computer instead of the television.

Taken From Satellite Dish