Binge-Watching: The Modern Teen Pasttime

A light illuminates a girl from her computer screen. On it, an episode of her new favorite TV show plays as she texts her friends to update them on the newest climatic events in the series. This is an image of a typical teen as watching an episode of television at least once a month is extremely common, specifically at YULA.

Popular shows among the freshman class of YULA include “Stranger Things” and “The Office,” and many freshman use streaming networks at least once a month. Freshman Kayla Cohanfard, whose favorite show is “Grey’s Anatomy,” says she watches whenever she has free time.

Freshman Anat Rimmon, who says her favorite shows are “Stranger Things,” “Riverdale,” “The Office,” “White Collar,” said she only watches TV about once a week or so in order to enhance her studying productivity. She is a high-achieving student, and one able to juggle her schoolwork while additionally splurging on an enjoyable TV series on occasion.

Other students felt as if they had more time allotted to watching, as freshman Bailey Perlman, whose favorite show is also “Grey’s Anatomy,” watches television “all the time,” she said. 

Binge-watching is widespread across not only YULA but the U.S as well. A survey by Deloitte found that nearly 73 percent of Americans have admitted to binge-watching videos, either on their TV or another device. The survey found that groups between the ages of 14 to 33 tend to watch an average of five hours per a single sitting. The equates to roughly five one-hour dramas or fifteen snappy twenty-minute comedies. That equates to a lot of time subtracted from more productive activities, including studying and intellectual hobbies.

Many students, though, have learned to incorporate television watching into their daily lives. Some students, including those quoted in this article, are able to maintain both a high GPA while also watching TV on a regular basis. This reflects upon our generation as they have adapted to the newest technological advancements.

The platter of instant gratification when watching a show is tempting, and many cannot resist and succumb to their desire by watching hours piled atop each other of a certain TV program. But those who can exhibit boundaries and pace themselves are the same ones who can strive for success while also treating themselves to an occasional episode of “Parks and Recreation” or “One Tree Hill.”