My husband and I grew up without watching TV. But we read books, we learned many other things from our parents- how to milk a cow, feed the chickens, sew a dress, make a dinner.
Then we had kids, it was the same- no TV, except for very rare occasions. Sometimes their friends were amazed when they didn't know about the TV shows or actresses everyone was talking about, but by and large, it was very, very beneficial. I think they still don't know who Brad Pitt, Britney Spears or those people are and wouldn't be able to pick them out in a crowd.
"Most children plug into the world of television long before they enter school: 70% of child-care centers use TV during a typical day. In a year, the average child spends 900 hours in school and nearly 1,023 hours in front of a TV.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), kids in the United States watch about 4 hours of TV a day - even though the AAP guidelines say children older than 2 should watch no more than 1 to 2 hours a day of quality programming."
Very, very sad, and I hope that anyone reading this article from Kids health will see the detriments of TV.
Discover the joy of reading to a baby, then a toddler, then on and on, till you are sitting on the couch one evening reading a captivating chapter book with your child, who is totally engrossed. It is a joy worth investing in now.