I think it's an important topic but I reject these explanations entirely. Television may have stolen time from other activities, but during that era television

I think it's an important topic but I reject these explanations entirely. Television may have stolen time from other activities, but during that era television was itself a unifying activity, generating a previously undreamt of amount of shared cultural experiences. I'd argue excessive television-watching was a result of reduced social cohesion and community, not a cause. I blame very different trends from that era... - The Drug War and "tough on crime" policies that generated a massive amount of fear among parents and created a hostile relationship between police and youth (and continues to, to this day). - Christian fear-mongering over Satanism and witchcraft, creating even more reasons to keep a close watch on your kids. - Racial integration of schools and neighborhoods which gave white parents an urgent reason to restrict and monitor which kids their kids played with. It wasn't distractions and technology or the lack of a global war that lead to reduced trust and cohesion. It was the spectacular and enduring success of professional fear-mongers.