Children who consistently spend more than four hours a day watching TV have an increased likelihood of being overweight. They also tend to snack while watching TV, and TV advertisements encourage them to consume unhealthy foods such as potato chips, fast food and sugary cereals. Studies, such as one by the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, have revealed that decreasing the amount of TV kids watch results in less weight gain and a lower body mass index.
TV characters sometimes engage in risky behaviors such as smoking and drinking, and there are many TV programs and commercials that depict risky behavior such as alcohol abuse and promiscuous sex as fun and enticing. Often on television, there is no discussion about the consequences involved in engaging in such risky behavior. Teens could be affected by the depiction of such behavior on TV and mimic it to destructive effect.
TV can influence teens' attitudes toward themselves and others if they learn to accept the stereotypes portrayed. For example, women are often disproportionately represented on TV as having perfect, slim body types. Also, ads for household items such as cleaning supplies and kitchen appliances usually feature women. Teens, who might use TV for answers as they search for their own identity, will come away more confused with the distorted representations they find on television.
Kids who view violent acts are more likely to display aggressive behavior and view the world as dangerous. Teens could become desensitized to violence and become more aggressive as a result, because TV often depicts violence as fun and an effective way to attain your means. Many violent acts on TV are perpetrated by the "good guys," and this can lead to confusion among teens who are still trying to understand the differences between right and wrong. Also, teens may not understand the consequences of violence because TV often doesn't display the ramifications of violent actions.
Studies by organizations like The Rand Corporation have shown that watching sexual content on TV increases a teen's chance of engaging in sexual activities, and may also cause teens to start having sex at younger ages. Many parents don't talk to their teens about sexual relationships and thus teens end up receiving much of their information about sex from sexual content on TV. Sexual content is present on soap operas, in music videos, prime time shows and advertisements; however, there is usually no information presented about safe sex.