10 Reasons to Turn Off the TV — And Reclaim Your Life

1. Television is a time-burning machine.
It devours one of life’s most precious resources — time. Hours spent sprawled in front of the screen could be used to create, learn, think, grow, and accomplish. Instead, those hours vanish into nothing. Isn’t it tragic to waste the one thing you can never get back?

2. It damages your brain and reduces focus.
A long-term study that followed over 3,200 people found that those who watched TV for more than three hours a day scored significantly lower on cognitive tests than those who watched less.
This aligns with dozens of studies linking heavy TV consumption to aggression, obesity, chronic fatigue, and attention disorders. You don’t need research to feel it — the dull headache and emptiness after binge-watching speak for themselves.

3. It normalizes indecency and violence.
Modern television overflows with immorality, violence, gossip, vanity, and hatred. It desensitizes both adults and children to modesty and moral values, shaping a world without spiritual or ethical depth.

4. News broadcasts breed anxiety and depression.
Constant exposure to crises and tragedies creates stress, sadness, and hopelessness. Do we really need to be updated every second on every disaster around the globe? What does it add to our lives — besides worry?

5. It makes us passive spectators instead of active participants.
We begin to live other people’s lives — fictional or real, while neglecting our own. We watch others succeed, laugh, and love instead of doing it ourselves. Television turns us into bystanders in our own story.

6. It manipulates emotions more than reason.
A single emotional scene can undo years of rational understanding. We might spend years learning wisdom, only for a movie to plant lust, envy, or shallow desires in our hearts in a moment. Television bypasses logic and speaks directly to emotion — often leading us to act against our own goals and values.

7. It reflects our inability to set boundaries.
Addiction to television reveals how difficult it is for adults — and their children, to control impulses. As journalist Uri Yassur (Ynet) wrote: “Most of us know TV isn’t good for us, but like smokers planning to quit ‘someday,’ we surrender control of our thoughts and emotions to a box that keeps pulling us back.”

He adds thought-provoking questions: “Do we notice the endless manipulation from advertisers? How do we feel after hours of viewing — calm or drained? Do we realize how our concentration, optimism, and patience erode? Are we truly happy giving our time away for commercials? Do we even need this in our lives?”

8. It distorts reality.
Television creates false ideals that destroy real lives. Women hate their natural looks because they don’t resemble models; marriages fall apart because people compare themselves to TV romances; parents chase lifestyles that exist only on screen. The result is envy, dissatisfaction, and despair.

9. It weakens faith and perspective.
TV connects us deeply to the material world. The more we watch, the weaker our sense of divine purpose becomes. We may believe for years that everything happens by God’s providence — yet one tragic news report can shake that faith. The media never reminds us that there is meaning behind events; it only fills us with fear and doubt.

10. It literally hypnotizes the brain.
Research by Dr. Herbert Krugman found that within 30 seconds of watching TV, the brain shifts from alert, logical activity to a low-focus, hypnotic state — similar to sleep. In this state, we absorb messages without awareness or critical thinking. Why would anyone willingly put themselves in such a trance?

(Photo: shutterstock)

What Can You Do Instead?

1. Remove the television from your home.
Many people — even celebrities and media professionals, have chosen to live without one. Israeli journalist Zvi Yehezkeli famously destroyed his TV long before becoming religious — and explained that it was the best decision of his life.

2. If you’re not ready to remove it completely, replace it.
Switch to a filtered and values-based platform offering educational, family-friendly content without immodesty or negativity.

3. Still live at home and can’t remove it?

• Don’t allow a TV in your room.

• Don’t sit and watch with others.

• Decide now that when you have your own home — a TV will never enter it.

4. Struggling to quit? Start small.
Reduce viewing time each day. Keep yourself occupied with learning, reading, creativity, or Torah study. Every small victory is precious before God.

Every minute reclaimed from the screen is a minute regained for real life — your soul, your family, your growth, your purpose.