“Timmy, it’s midnight and you are still watching television… TURN IT OFF!” My fruitless attempts to make Timmy stop watching T.V. are no stranger in my house. At first, I was phlegmatic about the situation, thinking it was just a phase, but I have seen what it has done to my son. He is not the same.

When my son turns on the T.V. he seems joyful and sanguine, but what he doesn’t know, is that his mind is being inundated with violence, terror, and negative feelings. My son has changed before my eyes. He has increasingly become more violent, and shows aggression towards his peers at school. I have been called to the school four times due to his actions. Three years prior to these events, Timmy had straight A’s and was student senate principal. I don’t think he can comprehend the negative impact television has on his mind.

By experiencing this hardship first-hand, I’m zealous in my fight to reduce the hours of T.V. watched by teenagers. My son has slipped through my fingers and fallen before my eyes. I knew my son had hit his al-time low, when I had to physically coerce the remote out of his hand. But, Timmy was adamant that television gave him positive reinforcement… I can’t seem to corroborate to him that it is controlling his life and his actions.
Before this addiction, he would be flabbergasted by the poor choices he has made. He seems unbreakable on the outside, but I can tell his once poignant mind has dissolved. I hope that parents can learn from my mistake a take control of the situation. Stop the addiction before the nefarious seed has time to sprout.