Most people’s parents have warned them about how TV will rot your brain, but still we watch it happily.
TV doesn’t really rot your brain, does it? At school, there is always a debate on which generation had the better, less “brain rotting” shows. This causes a divide between the generations. Are 90s kids' shows any better than the 2000 kids' shows? This difference in behaviors between the millennials and the youth of today may not only rest in the hands of new technology but also in the arms of the shows children watch today compared to what the adults of today grew up watching. TV watching is at an all-time high, and it affects us all.
TV can have a positive or negative impact on a developing mind. Most children begin watching it before they enter school. When I was a child, my mother would sit with me and discuss the message of each episode. Some parents today allow their child to watch TV with little parental guidance. That's not to say that the TV is a bad thing because it is a source for learning, but are the shows that are made for children teaching them the right lessons? 90s kids might have grown up watching " Saved by the Bell," "Hey Arnold" and "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." Today’s children are growing up watching " Jessie," "Adventure Time" and "A.N.T Farm. "
Upon watching the shows, I realized some distinct differences in the shows' content. In shows like " Family Matters ," "Lizzie McGuire" and "That’s So Raven," they may not only focus on family, but they also display family values. They deal with social issues and not just problems confined to one stage of life. While shows today mainly focus on high school and rarely show parents or any adults for that matter, they still include lessons on family values, friendship or something roughly along those lines.
In 90s shows, the characters had consequences for their actions and parental disciplines, but that is not shown in today’s shows. I watched an episode of the show " Life with Boys," and it was about a girl wanting to go out with a guy, but then later, she realizes he has a unique laugh. At the end of the episode, to get back at a bully, she gets the bully and that boy together, for the bully to later realize the boy had unfortunate laughter. I couldn’t help but think that the episode was trying to show kids that we should shun others for their differences instead of accepting them. This differs from the message of acceptance that was preached when I was a child. Was "Family Matters" not about them accepting Urkel and his quirks? Also, shows today promote rude and sassy children. Sure, that can be funny, but there is nothing to show that that attitude is unacceptable when talking to others.
TV shows are surely not what they used to be, but is that a bad thing? Are shows no longer teaching life lessons but are strictly made for entertainment? This is not a bad thing, but it does shed light on why the generations differ. We grew up on different lessons, so we act different. Lessons versus entertainment creates the then versus now division. Which shows do you prefer?
