TV ADDICTION

TV ADDICTION

Among American children, television ranks second to sleeping as a consumer of
hours. The average American, both child and adult, watches more than six hours of
T.V daily.

What effect does habitual viewing have on children ? Wilkins gives, as examples,
studies that have reported a relationship between increased watching and decreased
learning, between violence on T.V and aggressive behavior. Wilkins approvingly
refers to a famous psychologist who once said : "The danger of T.V lies not so
much in the behavior it produces as in the behavior it prevents. " Some examples :
communication between parent and child, the capacity to entertain oneself, the ability to express ideas logically [ … ]. T.V, suggests Wilkins, doesn't cut children from reality, it becomes their reality, more vivid than the world to which it supposedly refers.

What are the signs of addiction ? According to Wilkins, there are some key clues. Do
the children come straight home from school and turn on T.V ? Do they watch more
than ten hours a week ? As for parents, many of the same symptoms apply.

Earlier this year, Wilkins conducted a week-long abstinence cure with elementary
school kids in Ridgewood. Some families began and gave up ; several frustrated
mothers furtively watched their favorite programs. In general, parents seemed to
suffer holding from T.V more acutely than their children .

It was T.V critic Michael Arlen who said that television connects viewers to nothing
except the idea of being connected to something. Wilkins's advice : to reconnect
yourself to the world, disconnect the set.

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COMPUTER ADDICTION

COMPUTER ADDICTION

Each afternoon, Nastasia, a suburban American pupil would come home from school and tell her mum she was going to her room to study. But instead of opening her notebook, she'd rush towards her computer to play her favourite CDs. Homework ? Forget about it. Nastasia, an attractive girl who dreams of a career as a fashion designer, had more important things to do - like watching her favourite TV program. Jhe lie lasted until her mum saw her first school report card filled with poor grades, in part because Nastasia has failed to hand in assignments. "I thought she was doing homework, " says Niran, Nastasia's mother, " I was really furious."

Nastasia wasn't the only kid in her class that year who neglected her homework. Her teacher, Barb Bachman says half of a typical class fails to complete all assignments. It's a problem that's been getting worse by the increasing number of broken homes and longer working hours, which prevent parents from keeping an eye on kids' study habits.

For Nastasia's family, the first step in solving the problem was getting a thorough diagnosis. They learned there was more to it than laziness. "Nastasia said she didn't understand assignments, " recalls her mother. The second step in reforming her study habits was taking away her CDs. Nastasia began spending afternoons in the family room with Mom, who watched her complete assignments.

Nastasia found an equally supportive tutoring system at her school. She became one of the dozen fourth grade pupils in a new program called School Success. Each week the director of the program met with the students to help them identify the reasons for not completing homework, from distractions at home to too many extracurricular activities. Each night the students brought home a "contract sheet" listing all their assignments, which they checked off and then had their parents sign. Kids who completed most assignments got prizes.

Like anyone in a recovery program, Nastasia went through some setbacks. But the program helped her get back on track and today her homework troubles are behind her. "I wasn't paying attention to my work and I didn't try hard," says Nastasia.

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MOBILE PHONES ADDICTION

MOBILE PHONES ADDICTION

People are in love with cell phones. They’re addicted to them. Cell phones are
one of those rare inventions that change the way we live our lives.

In our fast-paced society, cell phones allow us to do more things simultaneously.
For example, if you’re ever on a commuter train in the morning you hear cell
phones ring and people answering in their business voices, talking to assistants, and
scheduling meetings with clients. Commuting time is no longer “dead time,” but
rather an extension of the workday. Despite the fact that some people complain that
cell phones are causing them to have less time with their families, for reflection, and for relaxation, owning a carrying a cell phone is now basically a job requirement.Indeed, the expectation in the business world is that, as an employee, you must have a cell phone. I’ve even heard of companies that give cell phones to new employees to keep.

How many songs have been sung about the girl waiting by the phone for a guy
to call? You won’t hear songs about this predicament anymore. Now that girl can
slip her little cell phone in her purse and go out on the town with her girlfriends. If he calls, he calls; if not, she’ll still have a good time. Another way cell phones have impacted the way teenagers socialize can be seen in the language. For example, the new term for getting together socially is “hook up.” Before everyone carried a cell phone, “hook up” was only used when talking about getting your telephone service installed. Due to the popularity of cell phones, our patterns of socializing are obviously in the process of changing.

Our society has always been fascinated with frontier lands, with “getting away,”
beyond the reach of human contact. For example, people trek to the North Pole, to
the Himalayas, through the Sahara Desert, all for the experience of being beyond
the reach of human civilization. There are other types of mobile phones that aren’t
cell phones. These work by satellite technology and allow communication anywhere
on the planet. This is a new concept for us and it challenges our romantic ideas
about “getting away.”
Human ingenuity is a great thing, but it is unclear what it will lead to.

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