TV Facts and Figures

by Beth Rowen

Do you ever keep track of how much time you spend watching television? Try it-you might be surprised or even shocked!

• Kids ages 6 and under spend as much time in front of a TV or computer screen as they do outside.
• The television is on an average of 7 hours 40 minutes a day in U.S. homes.
• The average American child sees about 200,000 acts of violence on TV by age 18.
• 92% of all U.S. households own a VCR or DVD player.
• On average, kids ages 6 to 11 watch 19 hours, 49 minutes of TV each week.
• The average American youth spends 1,023 hours each year watching TV and 900 hours in school.
• On average, girls ages 12 to 17 watch 19 hours, 49 minutes of TV each week. Boys watch 20 hours, 14 minutes.
• The average household has 2.4 TV sets. 98% of all U.S. households own at least one set. 79% have more than one TV set.
• 56% of children ages 8 to 16 have a TV in their bedroom; 36% of kids ages 6 and under do.
• 40% of Americans always or often watch television while eating dinner.
• American children spend an average of 4 hours 41 minutes a day in front of a video screen of some kind.

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