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2) How much television do children watch?

According to Mimi Simpson (in "What do Parents Need to Know about Children's Television Viewing," published in the ERIC Clearinghouse), children watch an average of 3 to 5 hours every day. She also reports that TV viewing is the #1 activity for children in the hours between school and dinner time for 80 percent of all kids ages six to 17.

Yankelvich research reports that kids (ages 6 to 17) watch TV an average of nearly 3 hours per weekday and four hours per weekend day; or 22 hours per week. But averages only tell part of the story. Their research also breaks down how many are heavy, medium and light viewers:

Has this changed over time? In 1967, the average sixth-grader watched 2.8 hours of television per day. Data from 1983 indicates that number is now 4.7 hours. (Yankelvich). Other research suggests that children's viewing has actually declined a little over the past few years leading to some speculation that children are spending that time on computer and viewing videocassettes