Most of us would agree TV has much too much influence in our lives and our children’s lives. But in case you don’t really understand what that means, here are some scary statistics that might make you think twice before picking up that remote:

• Time per day that TV is on in an average US home: 7 hours, 40 minutes
• Amount of television that the average American watches per day: over 4 hours
• Time per week that parents spend in meaningful conversations with their children: 38.5 minutes
• Percentage of 4-6 year-olds who, when asked, would rather watch TV than spend time with their fathers: 54 %
• Average time per week that the American child ages 2-17 spends watching television: 19 hours, 40 minutes
• Percentage of children ages 8 -16 who have a TV in their bedroom: 56 %
• Hours per year the average American youth spends in school: 930
• Hours per year the average American youth watches television: 1,023
• Percentage of American children who are seriously overweight in 1964: 5%; in 2003: more than 15 %
• Number of violent acts the average American child sees on TV by age 18: 200,000
• Number of murders witnessed by children on television by the age of 18: 16,000
• Percentage of Hollywood executives who believe there is a link between TV violence and real violence: 80 %

Even if your family doesn’t fall into these categories, we could all do some adjusting to our viewing habits. This month we have a great opportunity to take a break from the TV influence in our lives and find out what a TV-free day feels like. April 23rd – 29th is National TV Turn-off Week. If you go to tvturnoff.org or turnoffyourtv.com, you will find all kinds of alternatives to sitting and staring, and lots of great tips to make the week fun.

Also check out our community page at SacramentoParent.com to read about our blogger’s TV Turn-Off experience.