Effects of Television On Students

In the olden days, especially here in the African continent, we've developed and has discovered diverse means of communicating with people afar off.

The various media used in communicating with people afar off were beating of drums, making of bonfires, using animals such as birds and parrots to deliver messages across from the sender to the receiver; and many others not mentioned here.

Then gradually, civilization began to creep in and we started using advanced and more sophisticated means of communication to send messages to people who are at even farther distance such as fax machine,radio sets, computers (through email) and now television sets.

Then we further advanced from box television to B/W television, then to colored television, and now we even have the smart televisions. What a feat !

My father used to tell me that back in the good old days, during his own time, owning a television set was seen as the height of luxury because television sets were scarce and therefore very expensive at that time.

But welcome to our generation where television sets are now made more available and it can now be owned by all and sundry.

It is no longer regarded as a privilege of the rich alone as most households can now afford to own a television set.

Who's a student?

A student is someone who is studying at an institution of learning, and is under the tutelage of someone who is often regarded as a teacher, a master and so on.

Now, acquiring quality education for youngsters is no doubt a top priority in the government of most, if not all countries of the world and education is one of the sectors that takes precedence in the budget making of almost every country.

The advent of television sets and other means of learning and making research such as smartphones, computers etc, are making things a lot more easier for the students concerned.

Whatever has advantage must also have disadvantages, and television is no exception.

The Merits

Television sets have proven to be really helpful and effective in the dissemination of information which could be needed by students.

It Is also a medium used in gaining new knowledge as televisions are audio-visual. We can see images being displayed on the screens as well as hear what's being said. So therefore any new knowledge gained tends to stick faster.

Watching television is also a way of relaxation and entertainment.

After a long day people love to come home, recline on their couches and watch television.

Students love nothing more than coming home after school hours to watch their favorite programmes showing on television channels.

The Demerits

Inasmuch as television seems fantastic, it also has its bad sides especially in the lives of students.

Number one on my list and most importantly, television could be a promoter of violence.

All sorts of things are being showed on TV nowadays without them being censored for the sake of younger viewers below the age of 18.

It is no news that children learn faster by what they see.

As they keep watching uncensored programmes on television because they are inquisitive and curious by nature, they would want to try out what they have learned from watching television, be it violence or whatsoever it is.

Another bad thing about television is that it could be misleading in terms of moral standards.

Quite a number of people who are into drugs now learned that from the movies and programmes they have watched on television.

Swear words and inappropriate slangs now said by youngsters were picked up from TV programmes.

Moreover, pornographic contents are also showed on TV and youngsters are picking that up too.

Worse, they may even go the extent of practicing them due to their curiosity which is a natural trait in teenagers and adolescents, and in the process, they could put their lives and futures in jeopardy .

Another problem is that television could be addictive especially for people who don't have self control.

It could also prove as a terrible distraction to students, as they ought to spend their time reading and doing assignments. Rather,they might choose to indulge themselves and watch their favorite programmes to their heart's content.

In Conclusion:

Television isn't bad in itself, rather it should be the responsibility of its users to discipline themselves to make the utmost use of it to their advantage.

Moreover, programmes that are being showed on television should be censored to protect students and youngsters who are the future.