"Watching TV without a parent is a junk experience, especially for young children."
And watching with our family is like MST3000.

The TV news (what a coincidence......this was on TV, too!) had repeated clips of children staring at the tube, mouths agape. This was comforting, in that my children did not resemble the TV kids with their intense rapt attention. That ubiquitous tube is more like a radio-with-pictures for us. (I stand by my choice of ‘ubiquitous’ because my spousal unit has managed to find a rummage sale/reject TV for every room in the house, with the exception of the laundry room and bathroom. )