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Watching & listening to the News all day bad for your health!

Empire

Hello,

As the title suggests, the TV in our home is almost always set to GB News. When you go out, we turn it off, but the moment you return, it's back on again. We also have a digital radio in the kitchen that’s constantly tuned to GB News.

I personally don’t watch it all day since I’m usually gaming or working on my PC, but my grandparents do. They’re 82 and 76 years old, and GB News is on non-stop. The issue is that most of the news is overwhelmingly negative bad news after bad news, which I feel can be harmful to mental well-being, causing unnecessary stress.

It's now reaching a point where they’re seriously considering moving to another country because of all the negativity surrounding the UK government decisions, pension issues, rising costs, and the general state of affairs. I can't help but think that if they weren’t consuming this much news all day, they might not even be thinking about leaving the UK.

What other channels can they watch that are free or not too much to pay that has NO ads, ads even make them sick. I can't even get them to stop watching it. My grandpa is always hearing it shouting at the TV or spending hours every day doing his crosswords and hearing the TV. 

How to deal with it, what can they do? Based in Redcar and so what can my grandpa do instant of being at home all day

Parents
  • Empire said:
    he issue is that most of the news is overwhelmingly negative bad news after bad news, which I feel can be harmful to mental well-being, causing unnecessary stress.

    All the elderly family members I have known have been much the same although now there is a profusion of news channels now so they find it easier to find one that tells them what they want to hear.

    Look at the newspapers most popular with the elderly (The Daily Mail is by far their toilet paper of choice) - it is almost all negative, scaremongering and depressing. This is because it is what they want to read.

    Why? I can only guess. Perhaps their combined life experience tells them that this is the reality? Perhaps their lack of participation is so much of society makes them think it will fail without them and it is somehow satisfying to see this is the case.

    Empire said:
    How to deal with it

    You could ask them to reduce it but I suspect they will be very set in their ways and entitled to their priviledge so doubt they will take much notice.

    I suspect you will just have to accept your position at the bottom of the pecking order in the house and put up with it unfortunately.

    Speak to your parents, suggest alternatives and find some studies that back up your theory if you want to - this may be the best way to get them on side.

    For you, steer clear of it and preserve your own mental health.

  • in reply to Iain

    GB news is a fairly new channel, it's not been around for nearly as long as the other news channels. I think some people like  things like GB news as it confirms their biases? My personal bias is against anything that has Jacob Rees Mogg on it, a man so ridiculous PG Wodehouse couldn't have made him up!

  • in reply to TheCatWoman

    She even likes Jacob Rees Mogg Xd 

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