TV addiction, causes, consequences and solution

Possible reasons for development

TV addiction is called telemania and it is considered a disease. This condition negatively affects a person’s mental and physical health. Addiction to television indicates that there are no interests, the individual does not have any goals, so she wastes her life in front of the screen.

The development of addiction is influenced by certain factors:

• a lot of free time,
• thirst to live in a fictional world, someone else's life,
• the desire to escape from reality, from one’s problems,
• lack of friends,
• low self-esteem.

More often than others, the following are influenced by this dependence:

• lonely people who have no friends, no people with whom they can spend their time,
• insecure individuals who lack the courage to realize themselves and develop,
• children who sit in front of a screen when their parents do not have enough time for them,
• elderly people who find themselves retired now have no choice but to sit in front of the TV.

PSYCHOLOGICAL DEPENDENCE ON TV

More than five decades have passed since the arrival of the first televisions in the USSR, namely their mass appearance in our homes. That is, such a miracle of technology began to show off in the apartment of almost every resident of the city, somewhere in 1961.

Nowadays everyone has a TV in their home. Most often, not even one. People install information display devices in all parts of the apartment, be it the kitchen or the living room. Some people, when arranging a bathroom, mount televisions on the wall that have a moisture-proof function.

Television addiction is common among the masses these days. Susceptible people replace real life with watching television. The elderly lead a sedentary lifestyle, spending time in front of screens. Children whose psyche is just developing can watch cartoons for an unlimited amount of time.

REASONS FOR TELEVISION ADDICTION

Humans are curious by nature. This quality can often cross all boundaries of decency. Looking into other people's windows, some people devote a large amount of time to their observations. They live the lives of strangers, strangers, instead of enjoying their own lives. Experience moments of joy and sorrow, achieve your goals, learn new things. But instead, the plasma panel replaces its own life with immersion in someone else's.

People who suffer from loneliness are more likely to be addicted to TV shows. A person may not be confident in himself because he has not been able to realize himself in his life. They, as a rule, live with the problems of the characters in the series. The achievements and successes of the actors playing the role are perceived as their own.

TV programming can cater to a variety of interests. For those who want to add some excitement to their lives, we have come up with a talk show. These programs have a pre-planned plot, it contains intrigue and scandals. This allows a person to satisfy an emotional need.

CONSEQUENCES OF TELE ADDICTION

At first glance, it may seem that the addiction to spending your leisure time near the TV cannot do any harm. In fact, this statement is not true. Victims tied to screens minimize face-to-face communication. They move and walk less. They don't have hobbies. It’s easier to swap reading books for watching TV shows. Such people completely devote themselves to the life that takes place on the screen.

A person who relaxes by watching TV stops taking care of himself. He may neglect personal hygiene. Their areas of interest are limited to those shown in the programs on the screen.

From the point of view of intellectual potential, there is a rapid decline in intelligence. After all, when watching television you don’t need to think about the answers to questions. Due to this, degradation and the effect of numbness in communication occur.

Medical experts recommend that all parents prevent their children from watching television. Or at least set time limits for this entertainment. Another good option would be to discuss the plot after the children watch a movie. Ask your child to describe the characters. It must be remembered that no TV or gadget can replace a child’s live communication with his parents. Even the most modern educational cartoons will not give a child the knowledge that parents can give him.

CHILDREN'S DEPENDENCE ON TV AND CARTOONS

Parents are often faced with the question of how cartoons influence the life and development of a child. From an early age, a child begins to demand cartoons. This happens in the morning, afternoon and evening. At the same time, daily spending time in front of the TV screen has an extremely negative impact on his condition. He may throw tantrums for no reason. It will refuse to eat if you don’t include cartoons.

It often happens that having agreed with a child to watch one cartoon, he first agrees. But when this one cartoon is over, he begins to demand more. And at these moments no persuasion or explanation works. The child does not hear his parents or does not want to hear. Tears, hysterics and demands for continuation begin. In this case, parents do not find any other way out and shout at their child. They are fully aware of their guilt that they taught their child to watch TV from an early age. Now they are wondering what to do about it.

More and more parents are facing this problem. In fact, these are not whims at all, but a real addiction. It’s unpleasant that in this case it is already fully formed. Before getting rid of addiction, you need to go through a long process that requires patience. Children are accustomed to their daily activities being accompanied by cartoons. Whether it’s going to bed at night (watching a cartoon before bed is a must) or getting ready for a walk, it’s accompanied by the TV.

There may be many options for refusing this procedure. You can start solving the problem with a radical change of plan. For the first time, you can give up the TV completely. Tell your child that he is broken. It will be a difficult time for parents and children. A child who spends most of his time in front of the TV has not learned to play independently. The book does not interest him. These interests will need to be re-instilled. Any cartoons can be replaced with children's audio books.

There is a more humane option. Gradual abandonment of cartoons. To begin with, refrain from watching while eating. Then exclude cartoons before going to bed. If the TV is constantly running in the background in your home, then you need to eradicate this habit. For a child, you should choose one cartoon and limit yourself to watching it. Doctors recommend that three-year-old children spend no more than fifteen minutes a day in front of the TV.

RULES FOR CHILDREN'S HEALTH IN THE ERA OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

In the summer, when children are on vacation, they have a lot of free time. The first thing parents should do for their child's health is to limit the time spent watching TV. Parents' time management allows the child to find interesting and useful activities.

Adults should encourage all physical activity. Sitting near screens leads to weight gain and other types of negative consequences. You need motivation for live communication with friends. Involving the child in participation in public events that provide interaction with children of the same age. You can use apps on your phone. For example, there are apps that show the number of steps taken during the day. Children can share these applications and compete with each other to see who can complete the most.

Sleep is an important component of our life. Watching TV before bed reduces bedtime. By setting rules for not watching TV before bed, for example two hours before bed, we help the child regain strength at night. Explain to the child that his success depends on new skills and achievements, and spending time at home in front of the screen will not achieve success.

⠀TELEMANIA AS A DIAGNOSIS

For more than twenty years, scientists have been studying the influence of television on humans. Among newspapers, magazines and books, human choice falls towards the blue box, which carries important news and useless ones. Such a pastime provokes a refusal of family responsibilities. People who devote many hours to their addiction withdraw into themselves. Of course, it cannot be said that TV is exclusively harmful. After all, watching educational programs broadens your horizons. Allows you to enjoy the beauty and forget about your problems for a while. But you need to understand that it is worth reducing the time spent in front of a blue screen in order to avoid negative consequences.

To get rid of TV addiction, you will have to completely change your life. While doing various things, leave a small portion of time for watching TV. The impressions we get while traveling are incomparable to those we are used to receiving from screens. Men can start building a house. And a woman should learn to knit or sew. Such actions will immediately switch a person to a live wave. So that the TV becomes the background, and not the content of your life, you can choose difficult tasks for yourself.

Health effects

1. Physical inactivity. Sitting in front of a screen leads to a sedentary lifestyle. A person can spend several hours without any movement. It is necessary to realize that immobility slows down all physical processes in the body, which leads to a decrease in muscle tone, and the personality becomes lethargic. Over time, various diseases develop, including cardiovascular diseases.
2. Exposure to electromagnetic radiation. Despite the fact that modern monitors are practically safe in this regard, prolonged viewing and close proximity to the screen will have a noticeable negative impact on a person. According to research, the electromagnetic field affects the immune system, endocrine system and reproductive function.
3. Negative effect on vision. The fact is that the eyes are adapted to the need to constantly change focus, examine something in more detail, look into the distance; when sitting in front of a flat screen, this opportunity is absent. This provokes the formation of myopia, strabismus and other vision pathologies. A person may notice that with a monotonous picture, watching TV for a long time, or with changes in lighting on the screen, the eyes begin to hurt and get tired. If this phenomenon is observed daily, it is not surprising that vision begins to seriously deteriorate.
4. Obesity. As you know, many people love to eat in front of the screen. A person does not notice how much food he consumes at this moment. In addition, when distracted by a TV show or movie, the feeling of fullness does not occur, which means that the need for additional food intake remains. Also, do not forget that a person gets used to a sedentary lifestyle, physical activity is practically absent, which further contributes to the development of obesity.

Causes and consequences

Most often, TV addiction occurs in teenagers. They are the most vulnerable and receptive audience.

The main role in the emergence of pathological attachment is played by the adolescent’s unformed values ​​and motivational sphere, unstable self-esteem, weakened volitional control, and susceptibility to the opinions of others. A teenager with an established understanding of his strengths and weaknesses, a strong support system and trusting relationships with loved ones is less likely to develop a TV addiction.

The most common causes of TV addiction are:

1. The desire to escape reality due to a crisis, emotional trauma, breakup of significant relationships;
2. Lack of other alternative hobbies and hobbies;
3. Lack of a support system, meaningful trusting relationships, emotional attachments;
4. The presence of a similar or other addiction in a family member;
5. Low self-esteem, self-doubt, fears associated with real interpersonal communication;
6. Negative communication experiences, bullying or emotional pressure from a significant group of people;
7. Decreased volitional control due to depressive or other mental disorder;
8. Emotional coldness, alienation, distancing from others, as one of the manifestations of a mental disorder or personal accentuation (schizoid);
9. The presence of other addictions - alcohol, drugs, gambling.

The consequences of addiction to TV can be a stop in the process of emotional, spiritual, and moral maturation. The immaturity that characterizes any person suffering from addiction is manifested in the future by the inability to resist troubles, capriciousness, inability to endure, to achieve what they want, and the desire to get everything at once. Thus, low tolerance to frustration and low resistance to stress are formed. Any trouble can lead to depression, depressed mood, increased anxiety, restlessness, outbursts of anger or rage.

TV addiction can be:

• a sign that a person or teenager has other addictions;
• a desire to avoid reality, which is seen as a risk of suicidal behavior;
• decreased adaptive capacity due to mental illness (schizophrenia, depression, post-traumatic reaction, social phobia).

Harmful effects on the psyche

1. The harm caused by television to a person’s mental health primarily affects a decrease in thinking. The idea that viewing allows you to expand your horizons and gain new information is deceptive. In reality, 90% of the time spent sitting in front of a screen is spent watching movies, TV series, music videos, that is, something that, in fact, does not carry any special information load or benefit for a person. Also, you don’t need to think that relaxing in front of the TV helps unload your brain. In fact, for this you need to think about something, analyze something, draw conclusions. If viewing is done day after day, and even for many years, it is not strange that a person’s horizons narrow.
2. Dependence on television shows and series develops. It's no wonder that people can watch the same soap opera for years. And it’s one thing when for pensioners, this is their only joy, they are afraid to miss a new episode, but for young people, this is unacceptable, a person is simply wasting his time, acquiring an addiction similar to alcohol.
3. Method of manipulation. It is necessary to understand that the television corporation knows very well how to tie a person to the screen and make him receptive on an unconscious level. For example, watching advertisements on TV significantly increases the sale of goods that are advertised. This is direct evidence that the individual absorbs the information he sees and hears. Television, in essence, zombifies, creates conditions for control, and lulls vigilance.
4. ADD. It is a mental disorder in which a person perceives any information superficially. This condition turns a person into a depressed person and makes him irritable. The individual does not strive for self-improvement or career growth; he has difficulties with intelligence. Such individuals often resort to alcohol and psychotropic drugs in order to cope with some problem; they degenerate. In other words, TV makes people stupid.
5. Development of depression. When a person sits in front of a blue screen in dim lighting, he begins to develop apathy. If he is waiting for the release of a new series, which for some reason was canceled, then his mood noticeably worsens. In addition, depression can be caused by the information itself that is broadcast in programs, news, and films.
6. Oversaturation of information. A person sitting at the TV can watch several programs in a row. He does not have enough time to analyze what he saw and heard. Unnecessary information begins to crowd out necessary information.
7. TV addiction can also affect personal relationships, family, and relationships with friends. A person who sits in front of a screen all the time stops taking care of himself, reduces communication with other people to a minimum, and does not pay attention to his loved one, which leads to loneliness.

Ways to fight

With addiction, a person is unable to control his actions. You can get rid of such addiction. However, if a person does not want to get rid of it, then it is almost impossible to recover. There are various ways to deal with telemania.

• First of all, you need to reduce the time you spend in front of the TV. Try combining watching TV with homework. For example, you can vacuum and put things back in their places. As a result, you will take your mind off watching the program and do the necessary things around the house.
• You need to find another activity that will take up most of your time. This could be sports, work, study, communication with friends.
• You need to create a strict daily routine that leaves virtually no time for watching TV.
• You can write a list of goals and desires that you would like to bring to life.
• You can learn foreign languages, travel, do science, relax with friends, visit theaters and museums.
• Don't start watching new television programs or series. Otherwise, you will never get out of television slavery.
• It is necessary to eliminate attention deficit: communicate more often in person with family and friends, find new acquaintances.

It is known that TV addiction is a serious psychological disorder that worsens the addict’s quality of life.

Therefore, at a time when none of the above methods help, psychologists come to the rescue.

Impact on the child

Surely, every parent understands that TV is harmful to the baby’s developing body. According to psychologists, it is contraindicated for children's viewing. You need to understand that a child, even after watching a seemingly harmless cartoon, becomes overexcited and may experience stress. This can affect the occurrence of whims, the development of fears, aggression, and anxiety.

1. TV deprives a child of the opportunity to develop his thinking and make any efforts to achieve a goal.
2. There is an underdevelopment of such qualities as determination, willpower, leadership, and memory capacity decreases. This can even affect delayed mental and speech development.
3. Visual acuity decreases and myopia develops. This is especially true for children under eight years of age, since until this period the lens of the eye continues to form.
4. The functioning of the musculoskeletal system worsens, posture is disrupted, which leads to flat feet and scoliosis.

Signs of TV mania

Let's look at the main reasons why television addiction occurs.

• Loneliness. Due to the development of technology, people increasingly communicate in person. People, either due to inability to communicate or lack of communication, turn to television. They feel so comfortable. TV allows you to forget about problems and loneliness.
• The desire to kill time. Time flies when watching TV. This is how a person runs away from problems and lives in an imaginary space. There is little happiness in such a life, but the desire to close yourself off from everyone and everything is stronger.
• The desire for a different life. When watching TV, you can escape from yourself and hide all your unfulfilled desires. This device allows them to be themselves. Such people are psychologically very weak, but they rarely accept help.
• The main reason is the lack of desire to change yourself and change your lifestyle.
• Interest. When watching reality shows or series, people are simply drawn into what is happening on the screen. Then, when watching the same program every day, addiction and a feeling of loss: life on the other side of the screen intertwine with the real one and it becomes difficult to separate them.

Diagnostics

Almost all people with addiction are sure that they do not experience it. A simple experiment will help you make sure that it is still present.

For four days, completely eliminate TV from your life. After this time, check if you have the following symptoms:

• depression,
• weakness for no reason
• loss of desire to work,
• prostration,
• apathy,
• mood swings,
• suffering,
• feeling of worthlessness
• acute shortage of “blue screen”.

If several points are present, then telemania is taking place.

Reasons for appearance

Certain factors influence the formation of a passion for television.

1. Excess free time. In order to “kill” time, a large number of people start watching a series. Over time, there is no longer just one series, but several dozen. TV addiction continues to progress.
2. The desire to live someone else's life. Book lovers have the same problem. They try to immerse themselves as deeply as possible in the life of the main character, over time this develops into a kind of drug.
3. The desire to escape reality. Some people, wanting to avoid their problems, immerse themselves in the virtual world, forming an addiction to TV.

How to overcome addiction

1. Don’t watch everything, choose only those programs that are really important. Set aside time to watch educational television programs that will provide you with new information.
2. You need to change your perception. A person must realize that he can live without a TV. To begin with, you need to leave yourself without a “blue screen” for a short period of time, then do it more often.
3. Reduce your TV viewing time. If previously you sat in front of a “blue screen” for four hours continuously, now you need to reduce this time to three, then to two. The main thing is to do it gradually.
4. Replacement method. You need to find something for yourself that can completely absorb all your free time. Give him a hobby, devote yourself to some kind of increase, go in for sports.
5. Don’t forget that in addition to TV, there are loved ones, relatives, and friends in your life; devote time to them, your work, and household obligations.
6. Go to a bookstore. Surely, there will be something interesting that will allow you to be distracted, to penetrate the world of imagination, but at the same time you will be able to develop your mental abilities and engage in self-development.
7. Don't sit mindlessly watching TV. Buy the program, choose the programs you want to watch, that is, first decide what is your priority and what you can refuse.

I have almost completely eliminated TV from my life. Watching a movie or program is done only in the evenings, when the husband comes home from work. However, we do not allow eating in front of a screen.

Hostages of TV programs

Anyone can become hostage to television programs, regardless of gender, age, or upbringing. Most often, elderly people and children suffer from television addiction. Pensioners lead a sedentary lifestyle, TV shows become a kind of entertainment for them.

Being carried away by watching TV, children and teenagers forget about their household responsibilities and lessons.

The abundance of children's television channels means that children can watch them in unlimited quantities. Such children do not have live communication, they do not know how to work in a team.

Adviсe

1. It is unacceptable to watch TV while lying down. This will cause further damage to your eyes. It is better to watch from a position sitting in a chair or on a chair. It is advisable that the furniture is not too soft.
2. It is unacceptable to watch TV in the dark or, conversely, in a very well-lit room. If you are sitting in front of the TV when it is dark outside, you can turn on the night light; if it is too sunny outside, close the curtains.
3. While watching TV, periodically look away from the blue screen, this will give your eyes a little rest.
4. When an advertisement is broadcast, turn down the sound and do not look at the screen.
5. There is no need to be completely trusting of everything that is shown on TV. Remember that there may always be an alternative to what you heard or saw.
6. Break yourself from the habit of eating in front of a screen. Firstly, such actions influence the fact that a person eats many times more than he should, absorbed in the impressions of what is happening on the screen, and secondly, you may succumb to anxiety due to viewing certain pictures, which can affect the digestion process.

What will a blue screen give?

A group of Ukrainian journalists recently conducted an experiment: they sat in front of the TV for a whole day, carefully recording everything that happened on the screen.
During these 24 hours, journalists counted 202 murders, 160 fights, 66 drunkenness and 300 other “black” news. And only 20 noble deeds, 45 good news and 74 jokes. However, despite everything, it is still impossible to tear people away from the “box”. Television addiction has become almost the main psychological problem of the majority of the population. But in addition to information and entertainment of dubious quality, TV gives inveterate TV fans: - Pain in the eyes and visual impairment. - Migraines and cerebral vascular spasms. - Increased blood pressure and other cardiovascular problems. — Physical inactivity. - Poor posture. — Disorders of the nervous system up to manic-depressive. — Obsessive-compulsive syndrome.

Another danger of television is the passivity of the entertainment it offers (it is this feature that partly explains how easy it is to become addicted to the screen). In the interaction between a person and a TV, it is the TV that plays an active role. Your task is only to choose a program. In any other form of entertainment, you inevitably have to do something yourself. In chess and cards - think, calculate combinations. When reading a book, the brain does a tremendous job of transforming letters into words, words into images, and the imagination works, bringing people, events, and landscapes to life. And in a situation of “communication” with TV, you are always left with nothing to do with it. This form of interaction is attractive for both children and adults. Adults are driven by the desire to relieve themselves of responsibility for what is happening for a while and plunge into the cycle of events, but for children this state is quite familiar, since they are not yet responsible for anything and do not influence the situation that others are building.

The benefits of living without a TV

1. There is a lot more free time.
2. There will be no more advertising in your life.
3. More positive information will appear, and fewer negative emotions that could previously enter the subconscious when watching melodramas or news.
4. Only the necessary information will begin to flow into your brain, nothing superfluous.
5. Children remain healthy, their vision, musculoskeletal system, and psyche are preserved.

Now you know what the influence of televisions is. You understand that television does not bring any benefit, but it does harm. Keep your time in front of a blue screen to a minimum. Think about what you watch and what your children watch. Do not forget that the harm caused by television to a baby’s developing body is very high. Take care of yourself and the health of your children!

The benefits of living without a TV

Life without this technology will be a real holiday. What are the benefits of getting rid of it?

1. More free time.
2. Only the necessary information is received, which you find out via the Internet.
3. No advertising. Everyone has experienced annoying television advertising. Imagine, now she won't exist. There won't be any stupid songs playing in your head.
4. Positive attitude towards the environment. The media has created the impression that we live in a terrible world where only bad things happen. When we exclude this thought from the subconscious, life will sparkle with new colors.
5. Healthy children. Children without TV develop a clean, kind consciousness and a sound mind.

The international classification of diseases distinguishes dependent personality disorder. Some signs of this disorder can be observed in a person who has a morbid attachment to watching TV.

People suffering from one or another psychological addiction often tend to shift responsibility for their lives to other people. They avoid making important decisions, show pliability, give up their desires in favor of others, and tend to obey their needs. They experience loneliness hard and have difficulty defending their demands.

In general, they can be described as dependent and helpless. Often they are forced to give in, because they are overcome by the fear of being abandoned and deprived of the support of loved ones. In everyday life, these people show anxiety and uncertainty. It is difficult for them to organize their own activities and activities without outside help or outside intervention.

Fear of the future, helplessness and inability to take responsibility for their lives force people to avoid real life through dependence. For example, addiction to TV, which has become very popular in the modern world.

This type of leisure is available to every person and seems harmless in appearance. However, it carries the same danger as any other addiction; it is fraught with increasing isolation of a person from the outside world, disruption of his adaptation, and the occurrence of emotional and somatic disorders.

Negative influence

Immersion in the virtual world separates us from family, friends, and loved ones. Communication is reduced to a minimum. Interest in the real world and in oneself decreases. Physical activity is excluded from the daily routine, as a result, going to the store becomes a real challenge.

A sedentary lifestyle leads to all sorts of diseases: obesity, decreased potency, osteochondrosis, radiculitis, gastrointestinal problems, hemorrhoids, cardiovascular diseases.

Vision is declining at a rapid pace. Mental degradation occurs. A person forgets everything he knew and could do.

Television addiction in children

Why break up?

It would seem that depending on the TV there is nothing wrong. After all, it’s better to watch endless TV series than, for example, drink beer. But any addiction creates internal discomfort. After all, it is very important for each of us to feel free, and excessive attention to television deprives us of this freedom.

It happens that a person stubbornly watches programs that cause him nothing but irritation. Why the world scolds the talk show heroes, but turns on their favorite channel again and again. Often this indicates dissatisfaction with yourself and your life. A person transfers this irritation to the characters of TV shows, because discussing other people’s problems is much more pleasant and easier than discussing your own. However, such behavior cannot eliminate the feeling of dissatisfaction. But while a person spends all his time watching TV, he simply has no time to understand the true reasons for his dissatisfaction and change his life.