Others struggle with their guilt over using TV as an electronic baby sitter or their futile efforts to limit TV, especially in older children. Excess TV viewing has been shown to increase violence and aggression in children. Nearly two-thirds of TV programs contain violent acts with children's shows among the worst offenders. There are an estimated 14,000 explicit references to sex per year and only 175 references to contraception or sexually transmitted diseases. What is worse is that teens rank the media second only to school sex education as a leading source of information about sex.
TV encourages poor health habits.
Couch potatoes not only aren't exercising but they are being exposed to junk food commercials. Also, children who watch lots of TV are more likely to have higher cholesterol levels. On the other side of the coin, TV portrays women as stick-thin, which leads some girls into unhealthy dieting. Substance use and abuse are influenced by TV viewing. Mainstream TV abounds in references to cigarettes, alcohol and drugs, as do music videos.