Fun facts.

From kidshealth.org, which is backed by Nemours, a non-profit organization devoted to childrens health:

• Two-thirds of infants and toddlers watch a screen an average of 2 hours a day
• Kids under age 6 watch an average of about 2 hours of screen media a day
• Kids and teens 8 to 18 years spend nearly 4 hours a day in front of a TV screen and almost 2 additional hours on the computer (outside of schoolwork) and playing video games
• The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that kids under 2 years old not watch any TV and that those older than 2 watch no more than 1 to 2 hours a day of quality programming
• Children who consistently spend more than 4 hours per day watching TV are more likely to be overweight
• Kids who view violent acts are more likely to show aggressive behavior but also fear that the world is scary and that something bad will happen to them
• TV characters often depict risky behaviors, such as smoking and drinking, and also reinforce gender-role and racial stereotypes
• The average American child will witness 200,000 violent acts on television by age 18, kids may become desensitized to violence and more aggressivly
• A recent study by the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY) found that youth exposure to alcohol ads on TV increased by 30% from 2001 to 2006
• According to the AAP, kids in the United States see 40,000 commercials each year
• Under the age of 8 years, most kids don't understand that commercials are for selling a product
• Children 6 years and under are unable to distinguish program content from commercials, especially if their favorite character is promoting the product