The Scoop: Nickelodeon says turn off the tube
Just when you think you’ve seen it all, along comes a refrigerator equipped with a built-in television. Yes folks, our TV viewing habits have come to this.
I noticed this state-of-the-art feature while I was scanning the Internet the other day. There on the refrigerator door, right next to the handy external ice chute, was the TV monitor. If this new refrigerator came with an attachable sofa, it would be the only piece of furniture you’d need for the entire house.
I mention this new refrigerator because it shows just how infatuated Americans have become with television. I remember growing up in the not-so-distant past in a one-TV household where I was allowed to watch one (1) hour of television a day. I remember when we ordered cable for the first time and it cost $6 for 13 channels.
My how times have changed. They have changed so much, the kid-friendly Nickelodeon channel has announced it will go off the air for three hours Oct. 2 in an effort to get children to go outside and play. Imagine the possibilities.
The turn-off is planned to start at 11 a.m. During this time, network officials say they will broadcast a black screen with a simple message urging its young viewers to play outside instead of watching TV.
Said Nickelodeon president Cyma Zarghami, “They’re not doing as much after-school play as they used to so we wanted to make sure they know it’s important.”
I can’t help but think of the cruel irony that a network that has made it so easy for children to stare endlessly at a screen is finally encouraging them to step away from the remote. It’s also ironic for children to be told to go play outside by, what else, a TV channel. Is the TV all kids will listen to nowadays?
Imagine what will happen if children across the country do turn off the TV on Oct. 2 and stumble outside to a bright autumn day. Will they have to shield their eyes from the blinding light? Will they try to play a pick-up game of football, or will they search around every corner looking for a purple dinosaur who sings? Will they play a game of tag only to stop every 10 minutes for a commercial break?
I have to applaud Nickelodeon for its idea, although that praise is only half-hearted. That’s because I think the move is as much a publicity stunt as anything, and I don’t believe the blackout will do much good. Kids will simply change the channel or pick up a video game control.
But that likely end result shouldn’t stop Nickelodeon from doing what’s right and that’s encouraging children to become more active. It’s been said the second half of a person’s life is only repeating the habits they learned during the first half. That saying certainly holds truth.
The lifestyles children are learning today will be, by and large, be the lifestyles they lead as adults. That means if they develop a knack for sitting on the sofa and shoving potato chips in their mouths as kids, they will be pretty good at the routine by the time they are overweight adults with high blood pressure and heart conditions.
The points to remember are TVs do have off buttons and it shouldn’t take Nickelodeon to remind kids that playing outside with their friends is a worthwhile, and enjoyable, activity. It would be nice to think parents can still make that point on their own.
James Clark is editor of the Standard. He can be reached at 473-2191 or by e-mail at [email protected].