Worthwhile Watching

Worthwhile Watching: All Things "Screen Time"

Don't know what to watch? Click on Movie Reviews from a Traditional Catholic Perspective for nearly 100 ideas for and reviews of decent television and movies that do not harm our Catholic faith and may even enliven it! Also included are some reviews that are warnings against seemingly good fil media.

How does a family discern how much media to consume in the forms of television, movies, Internet, and even online classes for homeschooling?

The Psalm of TV

The TV is my shepherd I shall not want.
It makes me to lie down on the sofa.
It leads me away from the Faith.
It destroys my soul.
It leads me to the path of sex and violence for the advertiser's sake.
Yea, though I walk in the shadow of Christian responsibilities, there will be no interruption, for the TV is with me.
It's cable and remote control, they comfort me.
It prepares a commercial for me in the presence of my worldiness.
It anoints my head with humanism and consumerism;
my coveting runneth over.
Surely laziness and ignorance shall follow me all the days of my life
And I shall dwell in the house watching TV forever. 

--Author unknown. Published in The Angelus, Dickinson, TX, August 1990

I have read numerous books opining on dangerous of and moderating the use of various forms of screen time. I offer these titles that I have personally read as helpful in a family's discernment:

• Air Waves From Hell: Review of Television by Fr. Frank Poncelet (Neumann Press, 1991)
• Endangered Minds: Why Children Don't Think--and What We Can Do About It by Jane M. Healy, Ph.D. (Simon and Schuster, 1990)
• Home Invasion: Protecting Your Family in a Culture That's Gone Stark Raving Mad by Rebecca Hagelin (Nelson Current, 2005)
• Noise: How our Media-Saturated Culture Dominates Lives and Dismantles Families by Teresa Tomeo (Ascension Press, 2007)
• Taming the Media Monster: A Family Guide to Television, Internet, and All the Rest by Dan Andriacco (St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2003)
• Television: The Soul at Risk by Isabelle Dore (Angelus Press, 2010)

Audio/Video Talks Specific to Video Games:

• Fr. Robert McTeigue, S.J. addresses the Parents and Teachers at IHM School about the use of media and technology with the youth. This was such a serious talk that the school administrators required at least one parent of all their students to be in attendance that night, and they live streamed the event for the other parent at home. (1 hour)
• Families Managing Media gave a talk about video game use, combining personal family experience and devastation with many scientific studies and experts. Clips of popular videos like Minecraft and Fortnite are shown to educate parents. The point is made that all video games have a time into the pornography industry.  The second part of the talk given is about how to detox from electronic media and build a family culture to replace it. (each about 2 hours)

I am currently working on a big project with some other parents who hope, by the grace of God, to be embracing a traditional and orthodox Catholic mindset: Follow my link for a list of television and movie reviews! Movie Reviews from a Traditional Catholic Perspective already contains 74 reviews!