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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The adverse impacts of television especially on children cannot be ignored in today's world. As per current statistics, about 66% of American people have a habit of watching TV while eating their dinner. Approximately half of the US children between 6 to 17 years have a television set in their bedroom. TV is used by 70% of day care centres during a typical day.

The surprising fact is that an average child in US watches 30 second commercials 20,000 times in a year! On the contrary, parents are just spending 38.5 minutes on a weekly basis in having a meaningful conversation with their children. The average American youth is spending about 28 hours (1680 minutes) on a yearly basis watching TV. The time spend in school is about 900 hours per year. Another shocking fact is that an average child is spending 25 hours (1500 minutes) on a weekly basis which is more than a day in front of the TV set!

There are quite a few constructive yet entertaining activities which families can enjoy with their children rather than sitting in front of the TV set. Some of them are visiting a zoo, listening to the radio, putting together a puzzle, organizing a community clean-up, attending community concerts, learning to play musical instruments such as a guitar, visiting the library, go for roller skating or ice skating, volunteering to teach reading, mathematics, computer skills etc. in a school, painting a room, a picture or a mural etc.

This infographic supports the Comet range of cheap televisions.