Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Kill your TV - Can you turn off your TV for a week?



The "TV Turn Off Week" has been invented by David Burke, and it takes place just this week (April 20-26).
I found this idea really appealing, and when I read some facts about TV, I was astonished:
  • Number of 30-second commercials seen in a year by an average child: 20,000
  • Number of minutes per week that parents spend in meaningful conversation with their children: 38.5
  • Number of minutes per week that the average child watches television: 1,680
  • Percentage of children ages 6-17 who have TV's in their bedrooms: 50
  • Percentage of day care centres that use TV during a typical day: 70
  • Hours per year the average American youth spends in school: 900 hours
  • Hours per year the average American youth watches television: 1500
  • Percentage of Americans that regularly watch television while eating dinner: 66

"American children and adolescents spend 22 to 28 hours per week viewing television, more than any other activity except sleeping. By the age of 70 they will have spent 7 to 10 years of their lives watching TV" (The Kaiser Family Foundation).

I think it's worth at least trying it! :)


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