Are You Addicted to Netflix?

By Asia Daggs
Blog Content Contributor

In 2007, Netflix’s popularity resurfaced when they added streaming to their services. It was super convenient to be able to instantly watch a movie or a TV series without leaving your couch rather than waiting for a DVD to arrive in the mail. Naturally, we all became obsessed with it and let it consume our everyday lives. It is safe to say that we all have or will binge on Netflix at least once in our lifetime. However, I want to warn you of the dangerous effects that binging on television can create and how you just might be addicted to Netflix.

We can spend hours on Netflix without even realizing the time going by. I know it all a little too well, because I am guilty myself. I have pushed through at least 3 series within a few months time and I might even be proud of myself. My love for Netflix began about two years ago and now it is apart of my everyday life. I hardly watch cable anymore due to the huge selection of movies and tv shows they offer. I get through class everyday by telling myself that The Vampire Diaries or Dexter is at home waiting on me. (Seriously.) My entire family owns a Netflix account, even my three-year-old sister… So that shows you how deep this can get. Ultimately, I understand the gravitational pull Netflix can have on you, so that is why I wanted to do a little research on the effects it can have on us all. We all have been told that too much television can be bad for you. It is very much true, but can take a while to actually take a toll on us. A study found that adults who watch more than three hours a day, can double their risk of premature death compared to those who watch less television. That is a frightening statistic to swallow, but it must be taken seriously to stay on the safe side. I also found out that sitting down for long periods of time can increase the exposure to illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease. When I came across that information, it opened my eyes to the real danger in watching too much TV. Given that, you should try to limit yourself to one or two hours of television and maintain a good amount of physical activity each day.

I would never try and say we need to get rid of Netflix, because I can’t even do that myself. However, we just need to limit ourselves on how much we watch. Instead of watching an entire season in one night, pace it out to 1 or 2 episodes a day. I know it sounds like a nightmare to only watch a few a day, but it will help our health in the long run. If you do a lot of physical activity throughout your day, then you do not need to worry as much. Hopefully, you all take this into consideration and be mindful of the time you spend binging on Netflix.