We Don't Need A TV-Free Week

There is no denying the fact that many people, Americans in particular, watch way too much television. Some of the statistics are truly frightening. According to Nielsen Media Research:

The average American child between the ages 6 and 11 watches 18 hours and 59 minutes of television per week.

The average American male between the ages of 18 and 24 watches 19 hours and 29 minutes of television per week.

The average American female between the ages of 18 and 24 watches 22 hours and 11 minutes per week.

Given these alarming statistics, it is not surprising to me that a group calling itself TV-Free America is asking that Americans turn off their television sets during the week of April 24 - 30.

While their goal is noble, I believe their efforts are misguided, and just plain idealistic. Frankly, most people just won't do it.

Instead, I believe TV-Free America should concentrate their efforts on teaching adults and children alike how to watch television in moderation, how to make informed choices, and how television can be made beneficial by watching it together as a family.

Even though I'm the Managing Editor of the Television Section at Suite101.Com, I'm a firm believer that everybody should limit the number of hours they sit in front of the tube every day of the year, not just during one week in April.

Consider this: The typical candy store is filled with dozens of different types of candy. Some of the candy is made with chocolate, some with nuts, some with extra sugar, etc.

Unless you are a diabetic, you might be tempted to try at least one piece of each type of candy in the store. Would it make sense for you to do so? Of course not. You might make your dentist happy, but you'd also most certainly make yourself very ill.

What do you do instead? Do you avoid the candy all-together? No. You eat the candy in moderation. This week you might have some chocolate. Next week you might try a jawbreaker or two. The week after that you might try some of my personal favorite candy, jelly beans.

The same principle applies to watching television. Just because there are hundreds of broadcast, cable, and satellite channels on television 24-hours a day, seven days a week, does that mean that you should watch all of them? Of course not. Does it mean that all of those television programs on all of those channels are good for you and your family? Of course not.

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