In America, liberalism brings prosperity to the majority? False. In America, "anything is possible" for those who work hard? False. In America, the unemployment rate is minimal? False. In America, poverty is relative and the poor live "like modest Europeans?" False. In America, those excluded from the health care system receive free care when they really need it? False—really false. In an excellent investigation, with clear and relevant examples, Michel Desmurget shatters the myth of a beautiful and prosperous America where everyone can succeed as long as they are hardworking and courageous. Taking the opposite view of the current dominant discourse on the virtues of the Anglo-Saxon liberal model, the author writes a disconcerting antithesis, based on American researchers, sociologists and journalists who have studied the failures of the American model and who, for the most part, recommend surprisingly European solutions (universal social security, introduction of a minimum wage indexed to inflation, federalized education, etc.). Michel Desmurget is a doctor of neuropsychology. He attended several major American universities (MIT, Emory, UCSF) and is now a research director at INSERM in cognitive neuroscience. He is particularly interested in the problems of brain organization and plasticity. He is the author of the book TV Lobotomy (Max Milo, 2022), which is based in part on his personal history. Exasperated by having to constantly justify the choice not to have television at home—and to prevent his children from having access to it—and not to be seen as a sociopath in the eyes of those around him, he has done a massive job to argue his point.
• "TV unleashes the imagination and feeds intelligence." • "A child deprived of TV risks social isolation." • "TV dumbs you down." • "TV makes you obese." It seems that everything—and its opposite—has already been said about TV. But what is it really? How can we distinguish between the radical "No TV" of some and the supposedly entertaining virtues touted by others? Michel Desmurget, a doctor in neuroscience, has sifted through and synthesized thousands of research articles published over the last fifty years in the most rigorous international journals. The conclusion is unequivocal—we must stop watching television for good, whatever the program. All content, even that meant to teach, can never come close to any other learning method. The data is clear—television viewing is detrimental to school performance. For a child in elementary school, for example, every hour spent daily watching television increases the likelihood that he or she will one day leave the school system without any qualifications. For specialists, there is no doubt that television has a negative influence, not only on intellectual development but also on behavior. Thus, certain eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia) are related to a frantic consumption of—television programs! In short, watching television has an impact on our life expectancy. However, the harmful impact of this risk is largely underestimated, because of the large sector of the public exposed to television (more than 85% of Western households have at least one television set), and because of a debate on the subject that has become inaudible and confused. Moreover, the results of the research initiated by the big media groups on the subject remain "proprietary," i.e., closed to the general public. Believing that we is facing a real public health problem, Michel Desmurget wants to act as a responsible scientist—with a clear, concise and rigorously referenced book, the message cannot go unnoticed. Michel Desmurget is a doctor of neuropsychology. He attended several major American universities (MIT, Emory, UCSF) and is now a research director at INSERM in cognitive neuroscience. He is particularly interested in the problems of brain organization and plasticity. He is the author of the book TV Lobotomy (Max Milo, 2022), which is based in part on his personal history. Exasperated by having to constantly justify the choice not to have television at home—and to prevent his children from having access to it—and not to be seen as a sociopath in the eyes of those around him, he has done a massive job to argue his point.
All forms of recreational digital consumption – whether on smartphones, tablets, game consoles or TVs – have skyrocketed in the younger generations. From the age of 2, children in the West clock up more than 2.5 hours of screen time a day; by the time they reach 13, it’s more than 7 hours a day. Added up over the first 18 years of life, this is the equivalent of almost 30 school years, or 15 years of full-time employment. Most media experts do not seem overly concerned about this situation: children are adaptable, they say, they are ‘digital natives’, their brains have changed and screens make them smarter. But other specialists – including some paediatricians, psychiatrists, teachers and speech therapists – dispute these claims, and many parents worry about the long-term consequences of their children’s intensive exposure to screens. Michel Desmurget, a leading neuroscientist, has carefully weighed up the scientific evidence concerning the impact of the digital activities of our children and adolescents, and his assessment does not make for happy reading: he shows that these activities have significant detrimental consequences in terms of the health, behaviour and intellectual abilities of young people, and strongly affect their academic outcomes. A wake-up call for anyone concerned about the long-term impacts of our children’s over-exposure to screens.
All forms of recreational digital consumption – whether on smartphones, tablets, game consoles or TVs – have skyrocketed in the younger generations. From the age of 2, children in the West clock up more than 2.5 hours of screen time a day; by the time they reach 13, it’s more than 7 hours a day. Added up over the first 18 years of life, this is the equivalent of almost 30 school years, or 15 years of full-time employment. Most media experts do not seem overly concerned about this situation: children are adaptable, they say, they are ‘digital natives’, their brains have changed and screens make them smarter. But other specialists – including some paediatricians, psychiatrists, teachers and speech therapists – dispute these claims, and many parents worry about the long-term consequences of their children’s intensive exposure to screens. Michel Desmurget, a leading neuroscientist, has carefully weighed up the scientific evidence concerning the impact of the digital activities of our children and adolescents, and his assessment does not make for happy reading: he shows that these activities have significant detrimental consequences in terms of the health, behaviour and intellectual abilities of young people, and strongly affect their academic outcomes. A wake-up call for anyone concerned about the long-term impacts of our children’s over-exposure to screens.
In America, liberalism brings prosperity to the majority? False. In America, "anything is possible" for those who work hard? False. In America, the unemployment rate is minimal? False. In America, poverty is relative and the poor live "like modest Europeans?" False. In America, those excluded from the health care system receive free care when they really need it? False—really false. In an excellent investigation, with clear and relevant examples, Michel Desmurget shatters the myth of a beautiful and prosperous America where everyone can succeed as long as they are hardworking and courageous. Taking the opposite view of the current dominant discourse on the virtues of the Anglo-Saxon liberal model, the author writes a disconcerting antithesis, based on American researchers, sociologists and journalists who have studied the failures of the American model and who, for the most part, recommend surprisingly European solutions (universal social security, introduction of a minimum wage indexed to inflation, federalized education, etc.). Michel Desmurget is a doctor of neuropsychology. He attended several major American universities (MIT, Emory, UCSF) and is now a research director at INSERM in cognitive neuroscience. He is particularly interested in the problems of brain organization and plasticity. He is the author of the book TV Lobotomy (Max Milo, 2022), which is based in part on his personal history. Exasperated by having to constantly justify the choice not to have television at home—and to prevent his children from having access to it—and not to be seen as a sociopath in the eyes of those around him, he has done a massive job to argue his point.
• "TV unleashes the imagination and feeds intelligence." • "A child deprived of TV risks social isolation." • "TV dumbs you down." • "TV makes you obese." It seems that everything—and its opposite—has already been said about TV. But what is it really? How can we distinguish between the radical "No TV" of some and the supposedly entertaining virtues touted by others? Michel Desmurget, a doctor in neuroscience, has sifted through and synthesized thousands of research articles published over the last fifty years in the most rigorous international journals. The conclusion is unequivocal—we must stop watching television for good, whatever the program. All content, even that meant to teach, can never come close to any other learning method. The data is clear—television viewing is detrimental to school performance. For a child in elementary school, for example, every hour spent daily watching television increases the likelihood that he or she will one day leave the school system without any qualifications. For specialists, there is no doubt that television has a negative influence, not only on intellectual development but also on behavior. Thus, certain eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia) are related to a frantic consumption of—television programs! In short, watching television has an impact on our life expectancy. However, the harmful impact of this risk is largely underestimated, because of the large sector of the public exposed to television (more than 85% of Western households have at least one television set), and because of a debate on the subject that has become inaudible and confused. Moreover, the results of the research initiated by the big media groups on the subject remain "proprietary," i.e., closed to the general public. Believing that we is facing a real public health problem, Michel Desmurget wants to act as a responsible scientist—with a clear, concise and rigorously referenced book, the message cannot go unnoticed. Michel Desmurget is a doctor of neuropsychology. He attended several major American universities (MIT, Emory, UCSF) and is now a research director at INSERM in cognitive neuroscience. He is particularly interested in the problems of brain organization and plasticity. He is the author of the book TV Lobotomy (Max Milo, 2022), which is based in part on his personal history. Exasperated by having to constantly justify the choice not to have television at home—and to prevent his children from having access to it—and not to be seen as a sociopath in the eyes of those around him, he has done a massive job to argue his point.
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