TV Turnoff Week and Screen Time

Have you considered when, how much and at what pace your child will be exposed to screen time? The choice is yours. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a child under the age of two not have screen time. For older children, a maximum of 10 hours per week is recommended. http://www.aap.org/parents.html

Did you know?

• The average child in the US will spend more hours watching TV than in school each year.


• Screen time can be correlated with irregular sleep schedules, violence and aggression, early sexualization and distorted body image, the symptoms of ADHD, alcohol and tobacco abuse, lower reading skills and lower school performance.


• What your child watches also impacts their performance in school. Children who enjoy educational programs as preschoolers earned higher grades, read more books, placed more value on acheivement and showed greater creativity and less aggression than preschoolers who preferred high-definition, high-intensity content.


• Reducing screen time will allow kids to spend more time on vital health and development activities: being physically active, reading or being read to, interacting with others, exploring their environments and engaging in creative and imaginative play.

For more great ideas about family activities for TV Turnoff Week, April 23-29, 2007 please visit http://tvturnoff.org