I have met children who seem incapable of doing anything besides sitting in front of a screen all day. They watch "Doc McStuffins" during breakfast, "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" until morning nap, and "Jake and the Neverland Pirates" may come on while they’re sleeping. "Henry Hugglemonster" joins them at lunchtime, and throughout the afternoon they see how Princess Sofia’s day was and if the trains in "Chuggington" are making it OK amidst more episodes from the Clubhouse. It fascinates them, apparently.

“They sit and stare, and stare and sit, until they’re hypnotized by it, until they’re absolutely drunk by all that shocking, ghastly junk,”

Children nowadays are being raised by television shows. Sure, some may have a problem to solve or some kind of lesson at the end. But the fact is, children are not learning how to play.

You may say that sounds ridiculous. Don’t children still play even when the TV is on? Some do, some don’t. As I tried to play with a child I know, we’ll call him Matt, he did not seem the least bit interested in his own toys. Building with blocks was too much, or running to get a ball, or exploring all the possible tracks you can make with a train set. He sat and watched me play, and gave out a small whimper any time he looked at the TV and was reminded that his show was turned off. This may seem extreme to you, but I am not kidding.

College student are also known for the great amount of time they spend in front of screen. Maybe it’s not always TV, but using a computer for classes, homework, games, Netflix, Facebook, and everything else essentially makes your day comprised of just sitting on your laptop in various places. Besides our laptops, we usually have our phones with us, and may have a TV playing in the background, at least, as we do homework or eat dinner.

Now, I'm not saying that I'm someone who is against television altogether. I certainly enjoy the occasional binge watching of a TV series and enjoy a lot of movies. But I get bored of such things eventually, and begin to feel like a slug who is stuck on the side of a road. College students need activity in their lives just as much as children do. Yet from a young age, we are being trained to just sit in front of a TV because that's what our family wants to do, or because our family doesn’t want to deal with us.

“Oh yes, we know it keeps them still, they don’t climb out the windowsill, they never fight or kick or punch, they leave you free to cook the lunch and wash the dishes in the sink, but did you ever stop to think? To wonder just exactly what this does to your beloved tot?”

Kidshealth.org tells us that most children are spending more and more hours in front of TV and other screens as they grow older. The time spent in front of a TV is time that could be spent exploring their world in these key years of brain development.

“As kids get older, too much screen time can interfere with activities such as being physically active, reading, doing homework, playing with friends, and spending time with family.”

Just like how TV can affect a child’s overall development, our time in front of a TV or Netflix can interfere with our other obligations. Maybe it’s homework or a job or our social life. Why spend all our time in front of a screen (ironic of me to say, I know, as you are reading this on your computer) when you could go out and actually live your life? I’m not saying don’t do your homework. What I’m saying is that excessive time in front of a TV, mindlessly watching show after show, may have some drastic consequences. After all, the Oompa Loopas did tell us that those who watch too much TV will

“stare until their eyes pop out. Last week in someone’s place we saw a dozen eyeballs on the floor.”