Too much time in front of tv

Are parents spending too much time in front of the television? I as a parent say that we are spending too much time in front of a television. When you race home to see a football game or mini soap opera and forget that it is time to pick your child up from day care then it is too much television. When one quotes exactly what the news says and picks the candidates that the news says is best this is too much television. Do you believe that television has caused people to stop using critical thinking skills?