Television ban

The rationale behind a television ban is that the effects of watching television are similar to consuming an alcoholic beverage or smoking cannabis. Television addiction is a serious addiction that causes hospitalization, dependency on pharmaceutical medications, and ultimately death. Watching television eliminates time for exercise, which causes obesity in families. In young children, the social isolation created by television can cause autism. However, television does not cause autism in older children, adolescents, or in adults. Television also promotes violence and profanity which leads to increased crime rates, divorce, mental disorders, and the gradual loss of IQ in chronic television viewers.

Violence and Sex
Despite methods to censor television using the V-Chip and/or parental intervention, less than 1% of American television is rated TV-G. Most daytime programs are rated TV-PG and most primetime programs are rated either TV-14 or TV-MA. Rehabilitation is strongly recommended for people who want to quit watching television, although some personality types can quit watching television cold turkey without too many withdrawal symptoms. There are many types of adult programming with unsuitable content for families and/or children, including anime, traditional cell animation, and live action shows. Computer generation CGI can created an almost endless stream of graphic violence and strong sexual content.

Violence is present in non-fictional material like the news. War and crime stories are more likely to be in American media than in Canadian or European media. By the age of 7, most children have seen hundreds of acts of violence on their television - fantasy and realistic. On American television sitcoms, sexual innuendo is playful on TV-PG shows and depicted in a slightly more serious manner on TV-14 and TV-MA shows.

Obesity
Some people think television is also the main culprit behind attention deficit disorder but this is aggravated by sugary soft drinks. Sugary soft drinks as well as junk food are advertised on television, especially between Saturday morning cartoons, which further aggravates the problem. If not controlled with a proper diet and exercise, this problem will ultimately lead to further obesity. Eventually, the person that is addicted to television and its advertised junk food will develop high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, and eventually die of heart disease.

Television also has a tendency to broadcast sports in an attempt to discourage children from participating in local organized leagues. According to some, children who were raised on television prefer to watch soccer, basketball, football, baseball, and ice hockey on television as opposed to actually playing the sport. Until the 1999, Bhutan banned television for religious reasons. Since then, the citizens of Bhutan feel less satisfied in life than they did 10 years ago according to their Gross National Happiness factor.

Backlash to Television
Some people are starting to suggest that a resolution to ban television worldwide has a plausible chance to be passed by a international body like the United Nations that would result in the worldwide criminalization of the sending and receiving of television signals. It is also possible that the United Nations might declare a statement condemning television as the cause of the obesity epidemic. Television-related inventions would also become obsolete when and if the criminalization of television occurs.

Scientists are starting to believe that people lack time to attend gymnasium rituals because of addictive television programming like reality shows, game shows, sitcoms, and movies. Satellite television simply makes the problem worse as its array of over 500 channels deprive people of time that is necessary for healthy eating and active living. However, cable television and terrestrial television are not merely as addictive due to its low amount of television channels.

Digital television will become the last generation of televisions before television either becomes obsolete (through the invention of a virtual reality interface that will eliminate the negative aspects of television - the user must exercise his body and muscles in order to get entertained) or banned by the United Nations and/or various national governments. Usually, when something is about to become obsolete, the designers make a digital version in order to lure a new audience to a dying technology. For example, digital VHS tapes kept people using their VCR just before DVDs became affordable to everyone. Digital television would be the final generation of television before neural interfaces give people entertainment while they work, socialize, or exercise.

Television bans in popular culture

 * According to Star Trek: The Next Generation, television will be declared obsolete in 2040.
 * In the video game Revolution X, television is banned along with rock and roll music, video games, and other youthful forms of entertainment.

References/External Links

 * Criminalization of Television
 * The Telegraph (United Kingdom)
 * Sound Politics
 * Memory Alpha