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Can You Take The Challenge?

Author: Sara Jamison

Published on: April 1, 2000

How hard would it be for you to turn off your television for a week? Seriously, if you had to stop watching television for a week, how well would you do?

The last week in April, the 24th-30th, is the 5th annual National TV-Turnoff Week, where individuals around the US voluntarily give up their television viewing habits for seven days and live the “basic life.” This event, sponsored by the Television-Free America Organization (http://www.tvfa.org), is helping people rediscover what life is like without the “tube.”

For me, I don’t feel it would be too hard of a task to accomplish. I generally do not watch much television to begin with, so giving it up completely wouldn’t devastate my life completely. For those of us who feel there are never enough hours in a day, perhaps you should attempt this.

According to TVFA’s television statistics, the average American student watches approximatly 1,154 hours of television per year, while they attend school only 900 hours. Time out. Think about that. If you complain about school being too long, how come you never complain about how much television you watch?

So, how can you get your television off without having major withdrawals? Well, let’s say your daily routine consists of coming home from school, raiding the fridge, plopping yourself in front of the television, and watching MTV. Do you really need to “see” the music? How about listening to the radio station instead while talking to your parents or playing a board game with your siblings? No, it won’t kill you. In fact, you might grow to like it. How about shooting hoops with some friends instead of watching unrealistic soap operas? Or walking your dog through the neighborhood while gossiping with a friend? There are so many other things a person can do than watch the tube.

Families that have tried this technique have grown to like it, and some have even cut television from their households altogether. They found their days seemed longer, they interacted more with friends and family, and they did more constructive and fun things.

So, think twice about turning on the tube this month. I’m not “instructing” you to totally cut television from your life. Try being TV-free for a week. If it’s not totally your bag of chips, perhaps you could try watching television in moderation. Cutting down on your habits is still better than doing nothing about it at all.