The average child watches 1,680 minutes of television a week. So what is the average number of minutes per week parents spend in quality conversation with their children? Only 3-5 minutes! That is why 54% of American preschoolers, when asked to choose between watching TV and spending time with their dads, chose the television.
A Rutgers University psychologist had this to say: “Millions of Americans are so hooked on television that they fit the criteria for substance abuse as defined in the official psychiatric manual. Heavy TV viewers exhibit five dependency symptoms–two more than necessary to arrive at a clinical diagnosis of substance abuse. These include: 1) using TV as a sedative; 2) indiscriminate viewing; 3) feeling loss of control while viewing; 4) feeling angry with oneself for watching too much; 5) inability to stop watching; and 6) feeling miserable when kept from watching.”
