The year is 1950 and the iPhone 7 and the MacBook Air is non-existent, but instead, everyone has their eyes glued to a television. As one of the most produced products during the 1950’s, families were in awe of the new technology at their fingertips. Many sources argue that technology has the ability to bring out the worst in children, seen for the first time in the 1950’s. In “The Veldt,” written in 1950, Ray Bradbury hints at the consequences that television and technology have on children. I argue that the nursery described in “The Veldt” serves as a metaphor for television to represent the negative repercussions of technology. Eleanor E. Maccoby mentions various points in her article “Television: Its Impact on School Children” that reflect qualities of the nursery. The nursery shows similarities with television by sharing the qualities of consuming children’s time, resulting in less engaging activities, and giving parents a smaller responsibility in their children’s lives. 

There is no doubt that society’s use of technology has increased. Kids as young as 2 years old are seen at restaurants, churches, daycare centers, and so on fully aware of how to maneuver through technology such as an iPad. Children spend their days at school complaining of how long they have to wait until they can get home to play Xbox. Eleanor Maccoby researches exactly how much time is spent by children from the use of technology. Her data shows that 25% of children spent 1.5-2 hours watching television on the day before her interview while 18% spent 2.5-3 hours watching. The research goes further to say that these behaviors will most likely not be changing: “Some mothers do report in individual cases that children have lost interest in television to a degree, but others report an increasing appetite for it, especially in younger children. Viewing favorite programs seems to have become very firmly established as a part of the day’s routine, so that the amount of viewing remains fairly constant over long periods of time,” (Maccoby 424). Maccoby implies that children fall into the routine of watching the same show at the same time as part of a daily routine. Hypothetically this means kids spend around 7 hours at school then come home and follow their daily routine of watching around 2 hours of television. After their favorite shows, their routine switches to dinner and then bedtime which leaves little room for other activities. Once the habit of watching a show consistently is made, the routine is difficult to change. Similarly, the nursery in “The Veldt” consumes majority of Wendy and Peter Hadley’s time. The children use the nursery as a setting where any idea can be imagined. The creations belong to the kids which is comparable to the dozens of options of shows that children have the opportunity to see. George and Lydia Hadley see the negative effects the nursery is having on their kids when a thought to shut the nursery down arises: “’I’ve taken a few machines from the house and threatened them, a month ago, with closing up the nursery unless they did their homework. I did close it for a few days to show I meant business,” (Bradbury 8). George recognizes his kids are putting responsibilities such as homework behind spending time in the nursery which prompts him to shut it down. Multiple sources including Maccoby conclude that technology has resulted in the procrastination of true responsibilities. When faced with the option of homework or television, there is a small chance kids would choose homework. However, George realizes he needs to take action over the nursery to ensure that his children are using their time wisely. Shown by both articles, a major downside of technology is the time spent distracted by it.

In addition to all the time spent watching television, research further shows the lack of creativity children possess due to an excess of television watching. Kids are choosing to stare at a screen instead of doing engaging activities such as playing with dolls or making up scenarios such as ‘cops and robbers.’ Eleanor Maccoby describes the laziness to be creative and calls watching television an externally controlled fantasy: “The child’s role in relation to the mass media is essentially a passive one, whereas the other playtime behavior of children often involves highly active participation by the child in the real environment,” (Maccoby 435). Children who spend more time watching television give themselves little room to think for themselves when a story is given to them. By playing fantasy games such as ‘school’ and pretending they are a teacher in a classroom, kids have room to create scenarios to exercise their brain. Kids brains are being controlled by games that tell them exactly what to do or they’ll lose and by television shows that tell them roles to play by. Although the kids in “The Veldt” make up scenarios of what they want the nursery to be, the nursery is still controlled by technology: “They went to the fuse box together and threw the switch that killed the nursery. The children were in hysterics. They screamed and pranced and threw things,” (Bradbury 8). Because George and Lydia turn off the nursery, Wendy and Peter are without the technology that creates their dreams. Instead of creating them through a room, Wendy and Peter should play their imaginations out in a real environment. The screaming and throwing shows that Wendy and Peter do not have the ability to create the scenarios they imagine by themselves and rely on technology to do so. Both the nursery and television take away the engaging and creative activities that affect children more positively. 

Furthermore, the television, or ‘pacifier for children,’ is giving parents less of a responsibility to feel the need to entertain their kids. When parents need to work or need some time for relaxation, they put their kids in front of the television to keep them quiet. Macobby realizes some parents take advantage of this and find this point a positive aspect of having a television: “But beyond this, they find it a great help in taking care of their children: they say it keeps them quiet, keeps them in off the streets, and generally keeps them from harassing their parents,” (Macobby 439). Although parents see this as a positive quality, it often weakens the bond between parents and children when the parent shoves an iPad in their children’s face to stop tears or whining. As seen in “The Veldt” the use of technology destroyed the bond between the parents and children. Wendy and Peter found parents were not a necessity anymore once the nursery could give them what they wanted: “This room is their mother and father, far more important in their lives than their real parents. And now you come along and want to shut it off. No wonder there’s hatred here,” (Bradbury 8). Once George and Lydia take away what is most important to the kids, the psychologist insists that it is reasonable the kids are mad. Although a television certainly cannot replace parents, it does put a strain on the relationship between kids and parents when it gets in the way. Parents find themselves giving in to their kids whining over more video game time or just one more game, which puts the child in a superior position to the adult. By using electronics as ‘pacifiers,’ children are given everything they want without having to learn the world does not revolve around them. Giving in while kids are young ensures a high chance of a spoiled child throughout adolescence. The television and the nursery take away responsibilities from parents such as soothing their kids or simply spending time with them. 

Overall, television has had a great impact on families all over the world starting in the 1930’s. As the most produced item in 1950, television has kept families entertained for decades. However, as technology grows and more complex electronics are placed in the hands of toddlers, society has looked into the benefits and drawbacks that come with technology. Various sources argue technology brings far more consequences to children than benefits and can be found in works such as “Television: Its Impact on School Children” and “The Veldt” which enables a nursery to come alive to represent a television. The nursery shows the negative qualities of television by pointing out the extensive use of time children spend watching, the lack of creative activities children engage in, and the strain on the parent-child relationship. 
