TV Turn Off Week: Managing Screen Time for the Whole Family

There is good news and bad news to report on the issue of childhood obesity. The good news is that First Lady Michelle Obama has announced her campaign to combat childhood obesity. The bad news is that a major study of almost 5000 children published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine shows that obese kids are more likely to die prematurely (before age 55) from illness and self-inflicted injury than their normal-weight peers. The death rate among the obese children was more than double that of the leanest children.

TV Turn Off is an initiative begun more than 15 years ago to encourage families to try living for an entire week without turning on the television. Today, children use even more screens: Gameboys, video devices and computers for recreational (rather than educational) purposes. So managing ALL screen time is increasingly a challenge for families who want their children to be healthy and maintain a healthy body weight and active lifestyle. Here are 10 things parents need to know about screens*:

1. KNOW WHEN IT'S TOO EARLY: Under 2 YEARS; Screen time is not recommended for infants or toddlers before 2 years of age
2. KNOW WHEN IT'S TOO MUCH: Less than 2 HOURS; Understand the full range of media in your child's life and limit non-school related screen time to under 2 hours per day
3. SEPARATE VIEWING FROM CHEWING: Don't eat in front of the TV or other screen media; make meal time...family time
4. MONITOR CONTENT: Content matters — know what your child is watching; look for quality educational programs
5. KEEP SCREENS OUT OF THE BEDROOM: Keep them in a place where you can monitor time and content
6. PROMOTE MINDFUL VIEWING: Eliminate background TV; be selective about viewing; avoid channel surfing; reduce exposure to advertisements
7. WATCH WITH YOUR CHILD: Monitor your child's reactions and be prepared to answer your child's questions about programming; avoid using TV as a babysitter
8. AGREE AS A FAMILY ABOUT SCREEN TIME: Discuss and agree on limits: "this is what we do in our house"
9. PROMOTE LESS SCREEN TIME...MORE GREEN TIME: Get outside and play!
10. BE A ROLE MODEL: Limit your own screen time viewing; watch less than 2 hours per day; be mindful when you watch...and turn it off when no one is actually watching!

*Screens include TV, computers, DVDs, Videos and Video Games, hand-held devices, cell phones, etc.

Here is a cool and colorful PDF of these tips for your home
— Top Ten Tips (PDF)

Here is A LOT more information about each tip:
— Introduction (PDF)
— Tips 1-2 (PDF)
— Tip 3 (PDF)
— Tips 4-8 (PDF)
— Tip 9 (PDF) — >Tip 10 (PDF)