The positive and negative effects of television are often debated in social circles and in families, and remain almost a controversial topic. Simply put, there are many benefits of television, ranging from the gathering of information to raw entertainment; but there are also negatives, such as wasting time, becoming attached to inappropriate material, and “zoning out.” Particularly with regard to kids who watch a lot of tv, it can be very difficult to strike a suitable balance between these basic positives and negatives. However, there are some expansive direct tv programming packages that can help a lot with the problem by simplifying kids’ television watching options.

The fact is, television is designed to be seductive. It is fun, constant, and available, and particularly for kids this combination can be all it takes. Furthermore, television shows from kid cartoons to heavy adult dramas are all specifically designed and written to “hook” viewers and make them want to watch more. Unfortunately, this often means that it’s easy for people to get caught up in programs that they are not even actually interested in. We’ve all been there – you’re sitting on the couch with nothing to do, and you start channel surfing until you find something vaguely interesting, and before you know it you’ve wasted an hour (or more) half-watching something that you don’t even care about. Again, kids are particularly susceptible to this sort of “zombie effect.”

Strangely enough, adding to your programming can actually help with this problem. Granted, more channels means more shows, and thus more potential things to become addicted to… however, if a child has a specific show to be excited about, he or she may be less likely to camp out in front of a television when bored. So, yes, the child will still watch television, and perhaps plenty of it, but he or she may be less likely to waste time idly channel surfing or zoning out in front of the screen.

Another benefit of adding a more complex programming package is that you may have more appropriate options for your children. Of course, most basic television packages include at least some sort of kids’ entertainment programming… however, you may also find that your children are watching things that you don’t approve of simply to fill time when their favorite kids’ shows aren’t on. With an advanced cable package, you will not only be able to potentially set parental controls (depending on your system and package), but your kids will also have more age-appropriate shows to choose from, which should cut back on their time surfing through more adult shows. Ultimately, as you can see, an expansive channel package might, oddly, be just what you need to enhance the positives of tv time and take away from the negatives.

I took this guest post and I want to know what your thoughts are about kids watching TV. So what are your Thoughts?