TV-Watching Over the Decades

   

  The evolution of television was discussed during many of the era presentations.  From its beginnings to its current role as a leisure outlet, watching TV has remained a very prominent pastime for much of our society.  Beginning in the late 1940s, the number of households with televisions began to grow continuing into the 1950s and 1960s.  The amount of time spent watching television in the United States also began to grow.  Now into the late 2010s, the amount of time Americans spend watching TV each day has increased beyond a healthy amount.  Children no longer value time spent outdoors or interacting with others due to the inability to get out from in front of the television screen.  What began as a new technology fad turned into an addiction for many consumers.  While numerous advances have been made involving television, like the creation of Smart TVs, Netflix, Hulu, DVR, etc, it is important that we strongly encourage the American population to become more active and less reliant on television.  As occupational therapists, we can advocate for this increase in activity and decrease in television watching to our clients on a regular basis by stressing the importance behind living an active lifestyle.