Television is one of the best things we have experienced since the invention of sliced bread.

Television revolutionized modern entertainment and has become the greatest, and cheapest. tool to relax, stay informed, and discover new things. But some might argue that television isn't as great as we believe, and in fact may be harmful to the way we are growing up today.

Even with such a new invention taking over the world and invading almost every home, we still haven't been able to fully grasp the true effects it has on us over a long period of time.

Television might be good on the surface, but behind it lies the trigger for the new age of modern tech-savvy humans. Could it be possible that it is hurting us, or can the bad be justified by its positive outcomes?

Research on media and its influence on the American people was first brought up because it was new and virtually unknown to us. Suddenly you start seeing presidents praising the idea of television being researched, especially after an uprising of school shootings past Columbine in 1999. With violence in adolescents on the rise, and a virtually additive new leisure outlet, people started looking towards what was different between the old and new generations, one of them being the television sets in their own homes.

There is a correlation between both media violence and viewing violent and aggressive behavior. The most damaging time to be an audience to violence is when we are young and still absorbing information like a sponge.

We pick up on the blood and gore we see on television when we are kids and start picking up on it. In fact, kids will actually imitate the violence they see on television, not necessarily to the point of, let's say setting traps like Wile E Coyote on Roadrunner, but to a point where their behavior starts getting aggressive.

This aggression might also be in part to seeing violence with no real consequences, numbing their perception of reality and empathy. And according to a study done by the University of Michigan, violence, and aggression learned from television can actually follow a person from childhood into adulthood.

Children under the age of 8 can't separate fantasy and real life. They see no repercussions to violent characters on TV and in turn come to think that their actions don't come with their own consequences.

But viewership of violent and aggressive behavior on TV can also have physical, mental, and long-term effects. On top of the violence and lack of empathy adapted from the perception of TV characters having consequence immunity, children who don't necessarily go towards the aggressive side of the scale might go towards the fearing side of the scale. I'm talking about nightmares, insomnia, and even depression manifesting themselves into young children. Can you imagine a child with depression?

But there are positives to TV, too. TV isn't as addictive as it used to be because we can watch it when we want to watch it, that means we aren't confined to our homes anymore if we want to watch TV. Apps like Netflix and Hulu can easily be found on our phones and can be watched while running on the treadmill or waiting on a plane or doing anything else that could be considered a downtime for us.

TV also has given us a way to stay informed on things happening in the world as well as learn new things. And even though research has mainly focused on the negatives of television, not all TV is violent.

As kids, we have all probably watched Sesame Street, Dora the Explorer, and other educational TV shows, and if you were one of the many lucky kids, you probably benefited from it in some way. It has been proven that kids who watch one hour worth of educational television a day are proven to do better in the classroom, sometimes excel. It is important to note that educational TV has no effect on kids who are 2 and younger, and can actually be harmful to them.

There is also a benefit for introverted and lonely people. Psychologists have called this benefit, "social surrogacy," which means that you are less likely to feel alone when watching television. But be warned, there are studies that show people can grieve over the death of fictional characters as if they are real. So on that note, stay away from Grey's Anatomy, you'll just be depressed.

But there is also a very obvious physical health factor that goes into how we spend our time. We would all love to stay inside all day and watch TV and grow abs but children and adults alike should be active instead of plopped in front of a screen. For us adults, we want to stay fit, but for kids, their physical activity is a key for their later development.

The way we consume food also changes in front of a TV. I know when I watch TV I eat without limits and don't stop until the show stops. This is because we mindlessly eat when are distracted and don't put our food into proportions. Part of the reason I do this is that I'm actually bored as I watch TV, another is that as a college student I don't like to waste time, so I condense my leisure breaks and eating breaks into the same hour. Research says I should stop doing that, but I've never been one to deny my stomach extra Oreo's.

Overall TV isn't that beneficial to us. It causes mental and physical problems and holds negative viewpoints within our society, especially when it is a millennial doing it, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't watch TV.

TV is something that you should enjoy in proportions. Most of my inspiration comes from television, and sometimes it is the only thing I really ever want to do, not to mention I always have something to talk about with someone if it is about a TV show. So really, yes, TV can be dangerous, but as far as we know it really only has the most damaging effects on kids. Whatever happened to us already happened. Might as well have fun with it now.