Netflix Limits Its Chill Factor
October 8, 2019
Netflix is the world’s largest internet entertainment service, and with about 130 million users, Netflix is popular among all age groups. Netflix is known for its binge watching format; people will dedicate hours on end to shows. Over the course of 2019 there have been many rumors on if popular shows are leaving Netflix, or if Netflix is abandoning their binge format.
Netflix is losing a few of it’s most popular shows due to them losing rights of airing the show. Popular shows are being taken off and there has been an expansion of Netflix Originals.
Contrary to popular belief, Netflix is not leaving its binge format, instead they are airing only a few shows once a week, such as The Great British Baking Show. Some shows put out episodes weekly which prevents people from spending hours on end watching TV.
The average American spends almost 20 hours per week watching TV. According to Nielsen.com, 361,000 people watched all nine episodes of season 2 of Stranger Things on the first day it was released. It is common for people to get very excited for the release of popular TV show, and have the tendency to watch an entire season in one sitting. According to Dr. Renee Carr, Psy.D, a clinical psychologist, “When binge watching your favorite show, your brain is continually producing dopamine, and your body experiences a drug-like high.” Anything that causes your brain to produce dopamine can become addictive. Most people are addicted to TV and are not even aware of the addiction. Instead of watching excessive amounts of TV, there are healthier ways to spend your free time such as participating in a more productive hobby. According to Consumer Health News, watching episode after episode is similar to wanting to continue gambling after you win, which explains why binge watching is so popular.
In high school your sleeping schedule is typically not ideal. According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, teens 15 to 19 need about 8 to 10 hours of sleep, so watching TV before bed can lead you to going to bed at a later time. Most teens say “just one episode” before bed, which commonly leads to “just two episodes”. however, one episode is usually around 30 minutes, which when not paying attention to the time the amount of episodes you watch can build up quickly.
There are many negative side effects of not getting enough sleep, especially when you have school the next morning. In order to prevent sleep loss pick a time you want to go to bed, and set a timer at that time in order to prevent over
watching. Most students at WSHS agree that although unhealthy, binge watching TV is a good source of entertainment. “Binge watching TV shows can be fun, but also really harmful. It’s fun to watch shows you love and also discover new ones to like, but sitting in front of a screen for a long time is very detrimental to a person’s health and well being.” said WSHS junior, Lola Casillas.
Watching television in smaller portions is very simple and there are many ways to prevent binge watching. Although binge watching TV is unhealthy, it can be fine in moderation.