Kids Just Can’t Turn Off The TV

66% 50% 70%

30-second commercials seen in a year by an average child20,000

Number of minutes per week that parents spend in meaningful conversation with their children

Number of minutes per week that the average child watches television

Hours per year the average American youth spends in school

Hours per year the average American youth watches television

1,680 mins

900 hours

1,500 hours

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www.turnoffyourtv.com/turnoffweek/TV.turnoff.week.html

Some alternative activities for children and families

Today marks the end of National TV Turnoff Week (16-22 Sept) in the US. Let’s see why this day has risen to prominence in recent years.

Percent of Americans regularly watch television while eating dinner.

Percent of children aged 6-17 have TV's in their bedrooms.

Percent of day care centers use TV during a typical day.

National TV Turnoff Week Comes To An End

16-22 Sept

Volunteer in a school to teach reading, math, computer skills.

Learn to play the guitar or other musical instrument.

Attend community concerts.

Organize a community clean-up.

Put together a puzzle.

Visit the library. Borrow a book. Attend library activties.

Go ice skating or roller skating.

Listen to the radio.

Visit the zoo.

Paint a picture, a mural or a room.

38.5 mins

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Free from TV week!Does it sound quite challenging to be free from TV for a full week? Ironically, parents fail to notice the detrimental impact of television on their children during the recent times.

Let us have a look at a few eye-popping statistics:

1. In United Sates, 66% of the people during dinner time like to watch television 2. TV is used in any typical day by approximately 70% of day care centers3. A television can be found in the bedrooms of about 50% of US children who are aged between 6 years to 17 years4. About 1500 minutes (weekly) is spent by an average child staring at the TV screen which is surprisingly higher than the time spend in attending schools which is 900 hours/year (i.e. approximately 1038 minutes weekly)!5. Children and parents are having constructive and meaningful conversation for just around 38.5 minutes weekly which is less than an hour!6. On a yearly basis, an average American youth is watching television for about 1680 minutes which is more than a day7. About 20,000; 30 second commercials are being watched by American children every year.

Rather than sitting at home and watching television, families can have a great time with their children by engaging in a few interesting activities which listed below:

1. Teaching computer skills, reading, maths or any other subject at school by volunteering for the same2. Putting together puzzles which stimulates the brain3. Visiting zoos 4. Playing a guitar, flute, piano or any other musical instrument5. Roller or ice skating6. Listening to radio7. Attending community concerts8. Organizing and participating in community clean-up9. Painting rooms, mural, pictures etc.

You can use the link to find cheap televisions that have security settings to control what your child watches.