A fascinating experiment on addiction was reported in a recent issue of Good Housekeeping magazine. Not drug addiction. Not alcohol addiction. Not tobacco or candy addiction. It was on television addiction.
A Detroit newspaper made an offer to 120 families in the city. The families were promised $500 each if they would agree not to watch TV for one month. That’s right—500 bucks if they’d keep the tube turned off for just 30 days. Guess how many turned down the offer.
Ninety-three.
Of the 27 families that said “Yes,” five were studied and reported on in the magazine article. Right away you realize it was quite an adjustment for them. Each family had been watching television from 40 to 70 hours a week. That’s between 5.7 and 10 hours a day. Think of it! Every day of every week the monotonous sounds and electronic pictures were a continual part of those households—year in, year out.
Serious pains accompanied the sudden, cold-turkey withdrawal from the plug-in drug. Remarkable things occurred, some almost bizarre. Like the lady who started talking to her cat or the couple who stopped talking to each other altogether! But some good things also occurred. Books were pulled off the shelf, dusty from neglect, and read. Families played games and listened to the radio. In another family two young kids spent some time practicing how to spell their names and addresses!
Miracle of miracles, several actually reported the younger kids took their baths at night without throwing a fit. And some (better sit down) willingly practiced their piano lessons. The results? Well, the “no TV month” families finally had to admit four facts:
- There family members were brought closer together
- More eyeball-to-eyeball time between parents and children took place
- There was a marked increase in patience between family members
- Creativity was enhanced
I would love to report otherwise, but I must be honest rather than wishful and add that television eventually won out once again. All five families returned to their addiction for nearly the same number of hours as before—some, more.
It’s not the TV that disturbs me. No, it’s just another gadget that can be used and enjoyed on occasion. It’s the abuse that bothers me—the paralyzing addiction that stifles human creativity and cripples personal relationships. I agree with the comment made in the Christian Medical Society Journal a couple of years ago:
“The primary danger of the television screen lies not so much in the behaviour it produces as the behaviour it prevents.”
Turning on the television set can turn off the process that transforms children into people and non-plus viewers into thinking, caring persons. That’s why the little nine-year-old kid in San Francisco was overheard saying:
“I’d lot rather watch TV than play outside 'cause it’s boring outside. They always have the same rides, like swings and slides and things.”
One reputable authority declares that children raised on television come to adulthood with no evident signs of decline in overall intelligence. There is apparently no huge brain drain, but there are a few peculiarities that concern the pros in this field.
- Increased communication in a near nonverbal speech (“Like man…uh…you know…uh…”)
- Much less spontaneity and fewer imaginative concepts coming from young adults
- An intense, almost irrational, dependence on music with a heavy beat as their only art form
- The ever-present drug scene
- Greater interest in passive experience than those requiring mental interaction and active involvement
Since television sets sit in 97 per cent of North American homes, these problems aren’t decreasing.
Hey, let’s do something about this folks! It’s a tough, uphill battle, but it isn’t insurmountable. Coming off the addiction is always hard. It actually boils down to the correct use of two of the smallest things in your house: the on-off knob on your set and the simple yet powerful word “No.” Now, don’t look around for much support. You’ll have to hammer out your own philosophy. One that fits you and your family. But, for sure, do something soon. Let’s take seriously these words:
“Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely, and dwell on the fine, good things in others.” Paul,to 20th-century Christians
Believe me, the ultimate benefits you’ll enjoy will be worth much more than $500 and they will certainly last a lot longer. For a change, unplug the plug-in drug.
By Chuck Swindoll
Read bio and see more from this author
