Page 2: Three Atlanta Families go without TV 

by Cynthia Curtis

Ellen Currey-Wilson was a TV addict. "Even if I wasn’t focusing on it, the TV was on in my house from morning ’til night," she says. "Just like a drug, TV just sucks you right in and takes you away from everything that’s really important."

She can joke about it now, but Currey-Wilson couldn’t do her chores without dragging around her portable TV. Of course, that was 12 years ago, before people started putting TVs in practically every room of the house. Today it’s much easier to get hooked on television, and most people don’t even realize how much it has become a part of their lives.

Studies have shown the television is on in the average American home for more than seven hours a day, and that most homes have more televisions than people! Not to mention that outside the home you can tune in practically everywhere you go: restaurants, the gym, waiting rooms, classrooms, the office and even on cell phones.

A 2006 survey by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation confirms that today’s families are using TV and other forms of electronic media like never before. Respondents says they use it to manage busy schedules and keep the peace, among other things, and that they’re incorporating the medium into daily routines such as meal times, down time and getting to bed.

Dr. Kathleen Clarke-Pearson, a board-certified pediatrician from Chapel Hill, N.C., and a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Section on Media, says many of her patients’ parents rely too heavily on television and other media for their own entertainment, as well as that of their children.

"What concerns us most is that, after sleeping, American kids spend most of their time using miscellaneous screens – you can’t build relationships with screens," she says. "All of these distractions displace opportunities for other things to happen in their lives."

The AAP does not recommend any television viewing for children under the age of 2 and suggests limiting older children to less than two hours per day of educational, non-violent programming. The group also strongly discourages putting a television set in your child’s bedroom or other location that cannot be monitored regularly.

Research on the effects of television on children is vast and ongoing. Clarke-Pearson has seen firsthand that children who watch too much television are more apt to be overweight and report having difficulty with school work. Many who have TVs in their bedrooms, and leave them on throughout the night, experience trouble getting adequate rejuvenating sleep. But perhaps most troubling to Clarke-Pearson is that children who constantly sit in front of screens do not seem as close to their family members as they need to be. "Children need all the help they can get navigating through the complexities of life – if they aren’t engaging with positive role models, they’ll get left behind."

Clarke-Pearson is quick to point out that neither she nor the AAP is anti-television. Both feel that when used properly, television can have a positive impact on children.

And many parents agree. Respondents to the Kaiser study praised TV as a way of educating their children and promoting positive behaviors. Sharon Rechter, one of the founders of BabyFirst TV, says she started the network to offer busy families a high-quality educational tool. "Parents have told us that we’re responsible for teaching their children [and them] sign language, Spanish and other valuable lessons. We want to help them be effective parents."

To assess how addicted your children (or you!) might be to television, consider participating in TV-Turnoff Week, April 23-29, a nationwide initiative designed to help families break the TV habit. Now in its 12th year, the movement is organized by the Center for Screen Time Awareness and endorsed by the AAP, among others.

Clarke-Pearson encourages parents to be creative in finding alternatives for TV watching. "The benefits of being closer to your kids far outweigh any negativity you may encounter, and – let’s face it – at some point parents have to be parents."

If cutting off the television is not an option for you, experts encourage parents to cultivate healthy viewing habits in themselves and their children. Select quality programming with limited or no commercials and remember that "everything in moderation" is as true for television as it is for candy or sun. Consider using limited television time as a privilege to be earned by completing chores, finishing homework or other positive behaviors.

For other strategies or for more information about children and media, visit www.tvturnoff.org or the AAP at www.aap.org.

Page 2: Three Atlanta Families go without TV