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Is TV the main attraction in your life? Turn it off!

Wait—did you say off?

Yes, turning the television off may be a new idea to you, and you're not alone. But every year, millions of people are doing just that.

There are so many other ways to spend your time than just sitting on a couch for hours at a time. When you turn off the TV, you turn on your life!

Is TV Your Main Attraction?

Screen time facts:

• There are 257 millions TV sets in U.S. homes.
• Almost every house in the U.S. (97%) has at least one TV.Out With the TV and in With the Internet

  For the first time in decades, a recent survey shows that TV set ownership has dropped (99% to 97%). The Nielson Company, the operator of the survey, says this decline is partly due to poverty but also due to the internet.

  Tech savvy young adults have started using the interent instead of television to watch their favorite shows. With better Web streaming technology coming out all the time, standard television is becoming less popular.

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• On average there are between two and three TVs in every home.
• The average American home has the TV on seven hours a day.
• The average American watches a little more than four-and-a-half hours of TV every day.

Don't smash your TV—your parents wouldn't like that! But think about your TV use.

Why would I want to turn my TV off?

You're probably wondering why you would ever think about turning your TV off. There are many reasons! Here are a few:

• Children in the U. S. spend more time in front of the TV than in school.
How much time?

The average child in the U.S. spends 900 hours a year in school, and 1,500 hours a year watching TV.

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• TV cuts into family time.
What About Family Time?

The fact is that 66% of Americans frequently or always watch TV during dinner.

They're not talking to each other or interacting as a family—they're all looking at the screen.

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• Scientists have found that "Kids who watched more television on weekdays (but not weekends) did worse in school."
• TV contributes to poor health.

Poor Health

Between 16% and 33% of children and adolecents are obese.

Part of the reason for the growing number of overweight children is because these same children:

• Watch more than 22 hours of TV a week.
• Watch about 200 junk food ads during the Saturday morning cartoons alone.

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Think you'll miss something important if you turn off the TV? You probably won't.  Read on...