Television and Health
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What Happened:
We’ve all heard that television is bad for us. Now, new research tells us TV is even worse for us than they thought.
A new study found that children who spent much of their time lying around had higher blood pressure than those with more active lifestyles. No surprise there, right?
However, researchers also found that children who watched lots of TV had higher blood pressure than children who spent more time on the computer or playing video games. In fact, kids who watched from 90 to 330 minutes of television a day had blood pressure rates 5 to 7 points higher than those who just watched 30 minutes of TV daily.
Why is this? Researchers believe that, while playing video games and working on the computer involves at least some activity, watching television requires none.
Also, children who watch TV tend to eat while they do so; and much of the food they eat can be pretty unhealthy.
Talk About It:
• How much television do you watch a day? A week?
• Do you have favorite shows, or do you just watch whatever happens to be on?
• How much time do you watch TV compared to:
-Spending time with friends and family?
-Doing homework?
-Exercising?
-Time spent on the Internet?
• Do you do other things while you’re watching TV?
-Do you talk on the phone or text?
-Exercise?
-Do homework?
-Spend time with family?
What the Bible Says:
“My days are swifter than a runner; they flee away; they see no good. They go by like skiffs of reed, like an eagle swooping on the prey” (
“Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Surely a man goes about as a shadow” (
“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day” (
“… while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (
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