Turn Off the TV, Tune Into Family

Though your TV may seem like a member of the family given how much time you spend together, turning it off can open up a whole new world of communication and activity. Not convinced? Pieraccini has some compelling statistics to share about your TV, your kids, and you:

• By the time the average child graduates from high school, she has seen 20,000 hours of television. By comparison, she will have only spent 13,000 hours in class and 3,000 hours participating in church activities.
• By the age of 10, the average child has seen 10,000 commercials, mostly for fast food and sweets.
• Ninety percent of the studies looking at TV violence conclude that there is a cause-and-effect relationship.
• The average child watches between four to five hours of television each day.
• Close to 70 percent of children ages 2 to 11 have televisions in their room.
• The average cartoon has 30 acts of aggressive behavior.