Entertainment in the early days came in highly unusual forms. Kings and other people of position could call of jugglers, performers and acrobats in a single wave of their hands while the commoners’ entertainment would highly depend on whether the royalties would let them have fun at all. As the new age came into the picture, however, technologies gave rise to new forms of entertainment; from the small and multipurpose palm pilots to the go to places such as cinemas or movie houses and of course the never fading entertainment gadget, the television. The television has definitely made all our lives better, in one way or another. A certain show helped my mom learn a new recipe for chicken while others have kept my dad updated with the current issues of the country. No one can deny that everyone spends a lot of time watching TV. Then again, due to this growing dependence to television, the youth too have spent so much time watching TV. Since their viewing times cannot be controlled all day and night, children tend to become aware of mature issues such as sex and vices and develop unappealing characteristics at a very young age.

In most family’s cases, due to parents’ hectic schedules and businesses, they tend to allow their children to watch TV all they want to make up for the lack of time. Since parents do permit them to watch all they want, children tend to assume that whatever they see on the screen is right. Therefore they resort to trying and experimenting on the things they see on TV.

On an average, a research showed that teenagers tend to lose their virginity at the age of 17: a shocking revelation about the youth. Some news have emerged, however, that even 11 years old are aware of sexual intercourse and have at one point tried it. When asked how they became aware of such mature issues, their common answer would be due to the shows in the television that have lured them into trying sex. It is no wonder then that many of the teenagers now, if are not yet pregnant or trying to raise a family, are suffering from STD (sexually transmitted disease). Another issue that the youth become aware of at an early age is on vices. It is common for us to see actors drinking, smoking cigarettes or even drugs on TV. The media however presents these vices as something that can make you feel happy and could help you forget about your problems and worries but the effects on health are neglected to be presented. Once again, since they are showed in alluring ways, the youth become curious if they really do work and then tempted to try them out.

One more pressing issue on television is the shows that target little children yet present unappealing characteristics. An example of this is my nephew, who is a fan of a certain TV show. In this TV show, the character is faced with any normal day to day activities but does them in ridiculous and absurd ways. Because of this my nephew now has this tendency of deliberately acting clumsily to imitate the character and would even talk the same way the character does in the show. It is sad to see that the media filters the shows they air depending more on entertaining and getting high ratings than educating the viewers.

I once saw an episode of “Oprah” where in a similar topic was discussed. I was stunned to see a 13 year old girl admit to having sex with different men; a teenager addicted to drinking alcohol and was then severely injured from drinking and driving; and a 5 year old girl talking back to her parents and literally shouting at them as if she were older, all of these are caused by spending too much time watching TV. The show, however, further reveals a family who completely gave up watching TV and instead they spend those times doing recreational activities as a family. They admit that there are times that they wonder if making this decision was right but in the end they realize that carrying out this choice has brought their family closer and stronger.

Though it is true that we can learn a lot from watching certain television shows, the number of unethical and unaccepted television shows is increasing. The ways they are advertised are so appealing that we become captives of the media industry. It is no wonder then that the media has truly become second parents to the youth. Some children would even consider to have learned more from the television than from their teachers in school. It is, however, not too late. It’s not too late to do something about it. It’s not too late to indulge in other activities. It’s not too late to mold the minds of the younger generations into understanding the difference of what is just for fun to what is right. It’s not too late to break free from being captivates of the media industry.