How big a presence is TV in kids lives?
• TV viewing among kids is at an eight-year high. On average, children ages 2-5 spend 32 hours a week in front of a TV—watching television, DVDs, DVR and videos, and using a game console. Kids ages 6-11 spend about 28 hours a week in front of the TV. The vast majority of this viewing (97%) is of live TV [1]. • 68% of 8- to 18-year-olds have a TV in their bedroom; 54% have a DVD/VCR player, 37% have cable/satellite TV, and 20% have premium channels [2]. • In 63% of households, the TV is “usually” on during meals [3]. • In 53% of households of 7th- to 12th-graders, there are no rules about TV watching [4]. • In 51% of households, the TV is on “most” of the time [5]. • Kids with a TV in their bedroom spend an average of almost 1.5 hours more per day watching TV than kids without a TV in the bedroom. • Many parents encourage their toddlers to watch television. • Find out more about TV in the lives of children ages zero to six. As you can see, if your child is typical, TV is playing a very
