A decade spent watching TV Council for Media Integrity Americans in their 20s live in a media-dominated society. Generation X has watched television from infancy to adulthood. On average, they watch four hours or more of television a day, an astounding statistic that over a lifetime adds up to 10 years spent in front of the television set. For teen-agers, television has radically changed behavior. According to one survey, they spend 1,500 hours a year watching television, while only 600 hours a year in school, and 33 hours a year in conversation with their parents.
Programming has a strong influence on beliefs and attitudes.
From news reporting to dramas, television is overrun by presentations that sensationalize the paranormal and give science little credit. Network news magazines typically profile paranormal claims ranging from miracles to psychics without providing a critical, scientific perspective. Local newscasts are even worse. Top-rated TV and film dramatizations often center on transcendental or paranormal themes. Not only is the paranormal championed in these dramas, but science is shown in a negative light.