Research is showing us that electronic devices are hurting kid’s relationship with their family and others.

* In 2007, more than 1/2 of the people online said their online community was more important than their offline relationships.

*A recent study asked what it would take for your family to turn off the TV for one week.

      15% said it would take nothing                                                    

      48% said a power failure

      13% said a natural disaster

      15% lots of cash

      9% don’t watch TV

*By the time American children are 18, they will have seen 200,000 violent acts on TV.  Often these violent acts go unpunished and the emotional consequences are not shown.

*The American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics and American Psychiatric Association have voiced concern over the impact of electronics in children’s lives.  TV affects kids behavior, grades, sleep, weight and predisposes them to risky behavior.

*68% of 8-18 year olds have TVs in their bedrooms.  Kids with a TV in their bedroom spend 1.5 more hours each day watching TV.

*The female models and actresses seen on TV are thinner than 95% of the female population.

*Kids who watch TV tend to be more overweight.  Inactivity leads to burning fewer calories.  We tend to eat more while watching TV.  More than 60% of ads are food related.  Kids watch 200 junk food commercials during 4 hours of Saturday morning cartoons.

*Often children’s television programs contain more violence than adult programs.

*Research has shown that watching TV can affect academic performance.  One study found that watching TV as a child affected academic achievement at age 26.  Watching TV as a child increased the chance of dropping out of school and decreased chances of getting a college degree.

*TV watching has been associated with bullying.

*A 15 year study showed a link between watching violence on TV as a child with violent behavior in adulthood.