Customer Reviews

The Plug-In Drug: Television, Computers, and Family Life

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4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

With this book, Marie Winn has written an arch (though lengthy) indictment of television's pervasive and largely detrimental impact on childhood culture. With sixty years' worth of data, studies and surveys as ammo, she makes a nearly airtight case for why television should be strictly limited for the elementary children and why the recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics that no children under the age of 2 be allowed to watch is not just commendable, but physiologically and neurologically imperative. She lays out her small mountain of evidence that the practice of ritualistic television watching dulls children's sensitivity to others, negatively affects family life, nearly annihalates their motivation to contribute to their own development as critical thinkers and, especially, critical and enthusiastic readers, and generally, is neither necessary nor desirable as the cultural stronghold it's become.

Ms. Winn peppers her work with diverse perspectives from different families on the effects of television on children, from mothers who let their toddlers watch unlimitedly, to old-skool teachers who think it's ruined kid's minds. She also makes a comparative (though obviously tacked-on for the updated version) survey of computer games, video games, and online usage, arguing that it's all "screen time" and has more or less the same effect on children's intellectual and emotional productivity. She provides case studies of families who have tried to severely limit or altogether forgo television with unbiased candor (some of the families fail in their efforts, find the effort totally unpleasant, or end up going with a less radical approach than their initial cold-turkey strategy). Most helpfully, she provides practical tactics for reducing or getting rid of television in your home without causing your children and spouse to disown you. She lays out the ten most common reasons why parents fail to act on limiting their kids' television usage, then one by one, she provides solid, confidence-building reasoning against each one. After I read this section, I felt like I had a LOT more conviction in my decision making, and in applying her strategies, I will say that everything she predicted has come true: my child is indeed reading more, we are indeed spending more time together as a family, his social skills have indeed improved, he has become less aggressive and more imaginative, and we don't miss anything we used to watch.

With all that said, it's important to understand this author's perspective going into this. According to Ms. Winn, there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING GOOD about letting your child watch television. She acknowledges that there are "many fine television shows" and that "some may even be educational," but in the end, her thesis is that it's not the content of what your kids watch that matters, but the *experience* of sitting passively and "letting images wash over you" in a half-trance "zone" for hours that is so damaging for children.

This philosophy, while in and of itself isn't necessarily wrong or bad, leads Ms. Winn to make incrementally more far-fetched and less supported claims, including that television makes children so unpleasant that it has actually caused a greater number of working mothers, is largely responsible for destroying the nuclear family, can probably be blamed for school violence (her reasoning: children whose main social experience is not with another human being but with an electronic machine can't be expected to care about other humans' well-being), is causally linked to climbing divorce rates, ADHD, the loss of music and arts programs in school, the rise in learning disabilities and autism, bad politicians getting elected (it's not like a television-educated/dependent public can be expected to make sound, informed decisions!) and... I could go on.

I think that, had she simply laid out her case about the direct effect on children, this book would've been enough to convince any caring parent that TV-watching is something that, for children, should not occur unfettered. I feel, though, that she felt a need to "drive her point home" by adding all these other macrocosmic reasons to support this claim, and it wasn't just unnecessary, it was just plain hard to believe after a certain point, and undermines her entire thesis.

Still, I would recommend this book to any parent. Her main point is a strong one; her case for her claims, if laden with support-overkill, is damn near airtight. If you are a parent, you won't help but question your own children's television viewing habits and more strongly consider setting limits of your own, and that, ultimately, is a very good thing.

As a researcher and a college educator, I didn't expect much when I picked up this book. The topic interested me, so I checked it out of the library, but with reservations. I expected scathing rhetoric that belittled all positive uses of TV. I expected Winn to be a "Kill Your Television" type of author.
What I found in this book surprised me, to say the least. Winn sited hundreds of studies that described the possible negative effects of television but kept her "thus proving that TV is the devil" mentality to a dull roar. Although there were instances where she stated that a study's results "prove" that TV is bad for kids, this was not the main mantra of her book. Winn stated that she understood why parents used TV in the home, and gave suggestions for how to change the viewing habits of a child and a family. She described personal accounts of TV Turnoffs, some positive and some negative in their outcome. She also discussed other media such as the Internet and video games, and gave information about how these may affect children as well.
The best use that I found for this book was as a jumping-off point for discussions in my child psychology classes. My reading this book gave me the opportunity to discuss these opinions and research findings with my students, and I found that these discussions gave them a lot to think about. Personally this book made me examine my own childhood that was filled with TV and also made me question whether I will allow my own future children to watch this "drug."

Marie Winn makes a compelling and convincing argument that TV addiction is drastically affecting our children's ability to learn. She is absolutely right. TV addiction is so overwhelmingly prevalent in this culture that living without TV is considered extreme deprivation. We can't so much as sit peacefully and quietly in a doctor or dentist's office waiting area -- the TV is everywhere. We Americans cannot function without it.

Don't believe me? Unplug your TV and turn it around to face the wall. Don't touch it for thirty days. Thirty days of abstinence is the standard many psychiatrists use with patients who insist they aren't alcoholics.

I got rid of my TV four years ago, and have suggested the thirty-day test to friends who insisted they weren't TV-holics.

The longest anyone's ever made it is six days.

People intuitively know that TV is wasting their precious life energy -- that's why every conversation starts off, "Oh, I hardly watch any TV at all...." which is bull, and we all know it.

Marie Winn offers clear and cogent research and arguments to back up what we all, deep down, know to be true.

This is one of the most compelling books I have read in my entire life. Agree or disagree with her arguments as you wish, but consider the changes in my three young sons after I read this book and drastically limited their TV time: fewer fights, more interest in toys, academics, family, friends, outdoors, reading, and being read to. My children are much calmer with very little TV. Their previous viewing was non-violent and age appropriate. As for Sesame Street, my five year old is better off spending his time interacting with me through my reading to him and passing on my values directly instead of relying on muppets to do it for me. (I don't have a problem with Sesame Street per se- I started watching it at 6 mos. old! But given a choice, Winn makes a good case that Mom - or "equivalent" is better.)
Since this book showed up, our home has been a happier place.
I also highly recommend "Unplugging the Plug-In Drug" by Winn. It is out of print but available if you hunt.

Not only is The Plug-In Drug filled with incredible statistics, but it is an extremely readable book. I am tempted to say that the book is entertaining, except that the subject matter, and its conclusions are too disturbing to be described as "entertainment."

The book begins with descriptions of the physical effects of television watching (altered brain wave patterns, metabolic rate), and changes in behavior immediately after watching. Then continues with the general effects on families, education, and our society as a whole.

I was particularly interested in her discussion of the way in which young children learn (through manipulation of objects, experimentation, i.e. play), and how television watching has come to replace play. Also, the correlation with the drop in Verbal SAT scores with the prevalent exposure to televion was a real eye-opener.

Marie Winn tries, and I believe, succeeds to present an argument that is based solely on data (both scientific and anecdotal), and not on moral or intellectual dogma. Each point she makes is carefully thought out, explained, and justified with proof of the point.

As a person who works with school age children, and a mother of 2 young children, I would suggest this book be required reading for all parents and educators.

I must start by saying I grew up in a TV-free household (thank you, Mom and Dad), so I already knew firsthand how unnecessary television is. I certainly never felt deprived. This book still gave me a whole new perspective on the medium.

It explained a lot of things I had observed in my classmates' and cousins' behaviors which I had never been able to articulate (like why one of my childhood playmates disappeared into her house--never to be seen again--after she got a TV for her room). This is an important book and even if you don't agree with it, it might give you a new perspective-- not just on television, but on the importance of how you spend your time.

My one complaint with the book is that Ms. Winn lapses sometimes into a near-religious zeal in her arguments against TV. Don't let that keep you from seriously considering what she has to say.

I first read Marie Winn's book more than two decades ago, and still have the dog-eared copy. In this updated edition, she again provides powerful, well-documented, and sobering research and insights into the harmful impact television has on developing brains and minds. All parents should read this book!!

I wish I would have read this book when my children were babies. It talks about how television affects your child's love for reading along with his comprehension. When children easily learn how to find things to do when they are bored translates into being a more productive person as they get older. But seems that with today's tv generation people will usually end up watching tv instead of doing something creative, educational or productive. It promotes laziness and lack of interest in other non-screen activities. Kids want to finish their homework quickly so they can go watch a show. TV breaks down the family because creates a numbness and lack of interest in communicating. This book is a must read.

While Winn's thought-provoking book focuses on the sociological harms TV can cause, it falls short in other areas, namely, the spiritual and neurological harms of TV. Another book, "Television: Prelude to Chaos" by Frank Poncelet, answered some of these questions I had after reading Winn's book. I also liked the hilarious cartoons throughout Winn's book that illustrate how silly it really is to wast your life away in front of the idiot box / boob tube / one-eyed monster.

... This is an excellent book that is well written and makes for compelling reading, especially for parents. As a parent myself, I see that many kids these days simply don't play and interact with other people much these days--these kids just spend too much time in front of the computer, TV and video game screens to have much of a childhood.

The book explains why that's a problem and why we parents need to make the effort to limit (and possibly eliminate) our kids' screen time. The content of the screens may be irrelevant--all or most screen time may be just wasted time. I recommend this book highly to anyone curious about these issues.