Q&A: Television
Television
Question
Hello Rabbi,
A television in the home—is it permitted or forbidden?
From a religious perspective, I saw that many halakhic decisors prohibited it because of inappropriate content, issues of modesty, etc.
From a cultural perspective, should a person be afraid of being influenced by content and TV series if the message is not educational? What happens in a case where there are small children at home?
Answer
I don’t see how this could be prohibited. It is certainly worthwhile to think about the content one consumes and about how much one watches, and all the more so for children. This device has enormous power over children, and you should take into account that they may become addicted, and it will be hard for you to control their viewing. Adults, of course, can also be influenced, but an adult is supposed to be responsible for his actions and for what he does with the influences acting on him.