Television Statistics

TELEVISION STATISTICS

Compiled and commented by David J. Stewart

The following statistics are sad and shocking. It's a shame that so many children today sit glued in front of the TV tube, being brainwashed by all sorts of demonic influences. American television has become a menace!

I remember as a child often playing board games with my mom—games like Chutes-and Ladders, Mouse Trap, Husker Du and Candy Land. I'm glad I have those fond memories of childhood. Kids nowadays are losing out.

We've lost something precious in America—quality family time! Whereas the dinner table used to be the highlight of each day, when a family would gather around and enjoy a homecooked mouthwatering meal, families today eat microwaved TV-dinners while sitting around watching dirty-minded, violent, sexually suggestive, sicko TV.

END

Television Statistics

According to the A.C. Nielsen Co., the average American watches more than 4 hours of TV each day (or 28 hours/week, or 2 months of nonstop TV-watching per year). In a 65-year life, that person will have spent 9 years glued to the tube.

I. FAMILY LIFE

Percentage of households that possess at least one television: 99

Number of TV sets in the average U.S. household: 2.24

Percentage of U.S. homes with three or more TV sets: 66

Number of hours per day that TV is on in an average U.S. home: 6 hours, 47 minutes

Percentage of Americans that regularly watch television while eating dinner: 66

Number of hours of TV watched annually by Americans: 250 billion

Value of that time assuming an average wage of S5/hour: S1.25 trillion

Percentage of Americans who pay for cable TV: 56

Number of videos rented daily in the U.S.: 6 million

Number of public library items checked out daily: 3 million

Percentage of Americans who say they watch too much TV: 49

II. CHILDREN

Approximate number of studies examining TV's effects on children: 4,000

Number of minutes per week that parents spend in meaningful conversation with their children: 3.5

conversation with their children: 3.5

Number of minutes per week that the average child watches television: 1,680

Percentage of day care centers that use TV during a typical day: 70

Percentage of parents who would like to limit their children's TV watching: 73

Percentage of 4-6 year-olds who, when asked to choose between watching TV

and spending time with their fathers, preferred television: 54

Hours per year the average American youth spends in school: 900 hours

Hours per year the average American youth watches television: 1500

III. VIOLENCE

Number of murders seen on TV by the time an average child finishes elementary school: 8,000

Number of violent acts seen on TV by age 18: 200,000

Percentage of Americans who believe TV violence helps precipitate real life mayhem: 79

IV. COMMERCIALISM

Number of 30-second TV commercials seen in a year by an average child: 20,000

Number of TV commercials seen by the average person by age 65: 2 million

Percentage of survey participants (1993) who said that TV commercials

aimed at children make them too materialistic: 92

Rank of food products/fast-food restaurants among TV advertisements to kids: 1

Total spending by 100 leading TV advertisers in 1993: $15 billion

V. GENERAL

Percentage of local TV news broadcast time devoted to advertising: 30

Percentage devoted to stories about crime, disaster and war: 53.8

Percentage devoted to public service announcements: 0.7

Percentage of Americans who can name The Three Stooges: 59

Percentage who can name at least three justices of the U.S. Supreme Court: 17

Compiled by TV-Free America

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Washington, DC 20036

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Influence of Television

For decades, research and studies have demonstrated that heavy television-viewing may lead to serious health consequences. Now the American medical community, which has long-voiced its concerns about the nation's epidemic of violence, TV addiction and the passive, sedentary nature of TV-watching, is taking a more activist stance, demonstrated by its endorsement of National TV-Turnoff Week.

The average child will watch 8,000 murders on TV before finishing elementary school. By age eighteen, the average American has seen 200,000 acts of violence on TV, including 40,000 murders. At a meeting in Nashville, TN last July, Dr. John Nelson of the American Medical Association (an endorser of National TV-Turnoff Week) said that if 2,888 out of 3,000 studies show that TV violence is a casual factor in real-life mayhem, "it's a public health problem." The American Psychiatric Association addressed this problem in its endorsement of National TV-Turnoff Week, stating, "We have had a long-standing concern with the impact of television on behavior, especially among children."

Millions of Americans are so hooked on television that they fit the criteria for substance abuse as defined in the official psychiatric manual, according to Rutgers University psychologist and TV-Free America board member Robert Kubey. Heavy TV viewers exhibit five dependency symptoms--two more than necessary to arrive at a clinical diagnosis of substance abuse. These include: 1) using TV as a sedative; 2) indiscriminate viewing; 3) feeling loss of control while viewing; 4) feeling angry with oneself for watching too much; 5) inability to stop watching; and 6) feeling miserable when kept from watching.

Violence and addiction are not the only TV-related health problems. A National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey released in October 1995 found 4.7 million children between the ages of 6-17 (11% of this age group) to be severely overweight, more than twice the rate during the 1960's. The main culprits: inactivity (these same children average more than 22 hours of television-viewing a week) and a high-calorie diet. A 1991 study showed that there were an average of 200 junk food ads in four hours of children's Saturday morning cartoons.

According to William H. Deitz, pediatrician and prominent obesity expert at Tufts University School of Medicine, "The easiest way to reduce inactivity is to turn off the TV set. Almost anything else uses more energy than watching TV."

Children are not the only Americans suffering from weight problems; one-third of American adults are overweight. According to an American Journal of Public Health study, an adult who watches three hours of TV a day is far more likely to be obese than an adult who watches less than one hour.

Sometimes the problem is not too much weight; it's too little. Seventy-five percent of American women believe they are too fat, an image problem that often leads to bulimia or anorexia. Sound strange? Not when one takes into account that female models and actresses are twenty-three percent thinner than the average woman and thinner than ninety-five percent of the female population.

SOURCE

END

In sharp contrast to America's denial concerning the dangers of unwholesome TV, China's broadcasting watchdog has banned all sexually suggestive advertising on radio and television. That's exactly what we need here in America! Freedom of speech doesn't give anyone the right to exploit, corrupt or seduce the public.
The United States has some of the lowest standards of ethics in the world when it comes to television content. Our nation is crumbling apart morally. If China, a Communist nation, has enough sense to realize that commercials featuring sexually suggestive language or behaviour or featuring scantly dressed women are “detrimental to society,” then what is wrong with America that we are so blind to the truth? ...

China Bans Sexually Suggestive Ads on Radio, TV

Thursday, September 27, 2007

China's broadcasting watchdog has banned all sexually suggestive advertising on radio and television. Commercials featuring sexually suggestive language or behaviour or featuring scantly dressed women were “detrimental to society,” the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) said in a circular on Tuesday.

All stations are prohibited from broadcasting commercials and programs involving drugs, sex-related health supplements, drugs for sexually transmitted diseases, sex toys, as well as "vulgar" ads for breast enhancement and female underwear, according to the circular.

Commercials in which celebrities testify to the effects of products are also banned, reports Xinhua. The SARFT also ordered an end to programs with names including sex-related drugs, products or medical institutions.

“Sexually suggestive ads and bad ads not only mislead consumers seriously and harm public health, but are socially corrupting and morally depraving, and directly discredit the radio and TV industry,” the circular said. In July this year, the SARFT released a notice to stop ads with inappropriate content or sex implications from appearing on TV screens.

A total of 1,466 ads involving two billion Yuan (US$267 million) have been removed since August, statistics from the SARFT showed. The administration warned stations that failed to monitor the quality of commercials and programs would face severe penalties. Since September 5, China's broadcasting watchdog has punished ten radio stations for talk shows involving sexual topics.

SOURCE: China Bans Sexually Suggestive Ads on Radio, TV

Here's another article on the subject...

China To Ban Sexually Provocative TV Sounds

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

The Chinese government has banned "sexually provocative sounds" on television and pulled the plug on a show recreating infamous crimes by women ahead of a major Communist Party meeting next month.

The order, issued by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, is the latest in a series of ordinances, which have included shutting down reality shows featuring sex changes and plastic surgery and banning talent contests during prime-time.

"Sexually suggestive advertisements and scenes showing how women are influenced into a life of crime are detrimental to society," The SARFT said in a statement posted on its Web site on Wednesday, referring to its decision to axe "Red Question Mark", a crime documentary.

"Commercials containing sexually provocative sounds or tantalizing language as well as vulgar advertisements for breast enhancement and female underwear are banned, effective immediately," the SARFT notice added. The watchdog also ordered an end to programs with titles including the names of "sex-related drugs, products or medical institutions".

A total of 1,466 advertisements worth 2 billion yuan (132 million pounds) in revenues had been stripped from China's airways since August, SARFT noted, citing department statistics.

SOURCE: Daily News - China To Ban Sexually Provocative TV Sounds

The sad FACT of the matter is that the U.S. incarcerates 25% of the world's prison population,¹ while only composing 5% of the world's total population. Think about that! Land of the free? I think not. American society is in shambles and everyone's trying to figure out what's going on. Is it really that hard to figure out?

Land of the free? I think not.

END

Facts and TV Statistics

According to Nielsen the top TV shows for 12-17 year old girls were: American Idol, The O.C., Will & Grace, and One Tree Hill. The top TV shows for 12-17 year old boys were: The Simpsons, Malcolm, and The O.C.

2004 Super Bowl: Nielsen estimates that 6.6 million kids 2-11 were watching at about the time that CBS's little halftime fiasco developed when Justin Timberlake ripped off a piece of Jackson's bodice, exposing her right breast to the nationwide audience. Another 7.3 million teens 12-17 were tuned in at that time as well.

On December 10th, 2003, Fox failed to bleep the f-word and the s-word during the Billboard Music Awards.

# of 2-11 yr olds Watching = Over 1 million

# of 12-17 yr olds Watching = Over 1 Million

These two groups comprised more than 20% of the total viewing audience.

Estimated number of TV homes: 109.6 million.

Average time kids spend watching TV each day: 4 Hours.

Children spend more time watching television than in any other activity except sleep. - Huston and Wright, University of Kansas. "Television and Socialization of Young Children."

54% of kids have a TV in their bedroom. - Ibid

44% of kids say they watch something different when they're alone than with their parents (25% choose MTV).

66% of children (ages 10 to 16) surveyed say that their peers are influenced by TV shows.

62% say that sex on TV shows and movies influences kids to have sex when they are too young.

77% say there is too much sex before marriage on television.

65% say that shows like The Simpsons and Married… With Children encourage kids to disrespect parents.

Witnessing repeated violent acts can lead to desensitization and a lack of empathy for human suffering.

Television alone is responsible for 10% of youth violence. - Leonard Eron, Senior Research Scientist at the University of Michigan

According to the American Psychiatric Association, "The debate is over… For the last three decades, the one predominant finding in research on the mass media is that exposure to media portrayals of violence increases aggressive behavior in children."

A majority of parents say they are "very" concerned about the amount of sex (60%) and violence (53%) their children are exposed to on TV. After being read arguments on both sides of the issue, nearly two-thirds of parents (63%) say they favor new regulations to limit the amount of sex and violence in TV shows during the early evening hours, when children are most likely to be watching (35% are opposed). - Kaiser Family Foundation, 9/23/04.

A majority (55%) of parents say ratings should be displayed more prominently and 57% say they'd rather keep the current rating systems than switch to a single rating for TV, movies, video games, and music (34% favor the single rating). - Kaiser Family Foundation, 9/23/04.

About half (52%) of all parents say most TV shows are rated accurately, while about four in ten (39%) say most are not. - Kaiser Family Foundation, 9/23/04.

Many parents don't understand what the various ratings guidelines mean. For example, 28% of parents of young children (2-6 years old) know what the rating TV-Y7 means (directed to children age 7 and older) while 13% think it means the opposite (directed to children under 7); and only 12% know that the rating FV ("fantasy violence") is related to violent content, while 8% think it means "family viewing." - Kaiser Family Foundation, 9/23/04.

Fifteen percent of all parents have used the V-Chip, which was required to be included in all TV sets over 13 inches after January 2000; one in four (26%) haven't bought a new TV since then, 39% have bought a new TV, but don't think it includes a V-Chip, and 20% know they have a V-Chip, but haven't used it. Among those who have a V-Chip and know it, 42% have used it. Nearly two-thirds (61%) of parents who have used the V-Chip say they found it "very" useful. - Kaiser Family Foundation, 9/23/04.

When read the competing arguments for subjecting cable TV to the same content standards as broadcasters, half of all parents (52%) say that cable should be treated the same, while 43% say it should not. - Kaiser Family Foundation, 9/23/04.

A study of 1792 adolescents ages 12-17 showed that watching sex on TV influences teens to have sex. Youths who watched more sexual content where more likely to initiate intercourse and progress to more advanced noncoital sexual activities in the year following the beginning of the study. Youths in the 90th percentile of TV sex viewing had a predicted probability of intercourse initiation that was approximately double that of youths in the 10th percentile. Basically, kids with higher exposure to sex on TV were almost twice as likely than kids with lower exposure to initiate sexual intercourse. - Study Conducted by RAND and published in the September 2004 issue of Pediatrics.

46% of high school students in the United States have had sexual intercourse. Although sex is common, most sexually active teens wish they had waited longer to have sex, which suggest that sex is occurring before youths are prepared for its consequences. 1 case of an STD is diagnosed for every 4 sexually active teens.

In a sample of programming from the 2001-2002 TV season, sexual content appeared in 64% of all TV programs. Those programs with sexually related material had an average of 4.4 scenes per hour. Talk of sex is more frequent (61%) vs. overt portrayals (32%). 1 out of every 7 programs includes a portrayal of sexual intercourse.

Portrayals that included sexual risks (STD's or becoming pregnant), abstinence or need for sexual safety was depicted in 15% of the shows with sexual content. Hence, sexual content on TV is more likely to promote sexual activity among US adolescents that it is to discourage it.

Factors positively associated with initiation of intercourse among virgins are: Watching Sex on TV, having older friends, getting low grades, engaging in deviant behavior. Positive factors for virgins to abstain are: parental monitoring, parent education, living with both parents, having parents who would disprove of adolescent sex, being religious, and having good mental health.

"In a recent national survey conducted by Nielsen (4/29/04), 78% of American families who had recently been part of the Nielsen 'People Meter' panel wanted more shows 'without profanity or swear words.'

"In a national opinion poll conducted for TV Guide (8/2/03), 57% of TV viewers said they 'noticed an increase in offensive material on television lately.'"

"In a national opinion poll conducted for Common Sense Media ("New Attempt to Monitor Media Content," NY Times, 5/21/03), 64% of parents with at least one child between the ages of 2 and 17 believed media products in general were inappropriate for their families. Only one in five parents 'fully trusted' the industry-controlled rating systems.

"In a national survey by Public Agenda ("Parents feel they're failing to teach values," USA TODAY, 10/30/02), 'about 90% [of parents] say TV programs are getting worse every year because of bad language and adult themes in shows that air from 8 to 10 p.m.'

Over 1000 studies - including a Surgeon General's special report in 1972 and a National Institute of Mental Health report 10 years later - attest to a causal connection between media violence and aggressive behavior in some children. Studies show that the more "real-life" the violence portrayed, the greater the likelihood that it will be "learned."^-American Academy of Pediatrics Policy Statement, Volume 95, Number 6 - June 1995

By age 18, a U.S. youth will have seen 16,000 simulated murders and 200,000 acts of violence. - American Psychiatric Association

The average youth living in the U.S. watches television 25 hours a week and plays computer games an additional seven hours. - National Institute on Media and the Family, 1998 study

Media violence may cause aggressive and antisocial behavior, desensitize viewers to future violence and increase perceptions that they are living "in a mean and dangerous world." - American Academy of Pediatrics

Children younger than 8 "cannot uniformly discriminate between real life and fantasy/entertainment… They quickly learn that violence is an acceptable solution to resolving even complex problems, particularly if the aggressor is the hero." - ibid

"Violence is like the nicotine in cigarettes. The reason why the media has to pump ever more violence into us is because we've built up a tolerance. In order to get the same high, we need ever-higher levels… The television industry has gained its market share through an addictive and toxic ingredient." - Lt. Col. David Grossman quoted in The Arizona Republic, May 27, 1999 by Tim Madigan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, A18.

Two overviews of existing studies conducted by the Surgeon General's office in 1972 and 1982 called television violence "a contributing factor to increases in violent crime and antisocial behavior." - May 9, 1999. The New York Times. Lawrie Mifflin. "Many Researchers Say Link is Already Clear on Media and Youth Violence."

"Not every child who watches a lot of violence or plays a lot of violent games will grow up to be violent. Other forces must converge, as they did recently in Colorado. But just as every cigarette increases the chance that someday you will get lung cancer, every exposure to violence increases the chances that some day a child will behave more violently than they otherwise would." - Ibid Attributed to L. Rowell Huesmann of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.

"A steady diet of violent content over time creates a culture that tells kids that violence is the accepted way we solve our problems." - Ibid - Attributed to Kathryn C. Montgomery, President of the Center for Media Education.

Television violence can lead to imitation.

The cumulative impact of violence-laden imagery can lead to a "mean-world" perspective, in which viewers have an unrealistically dark view of life. - The Christian Science Monitor, November 18, 1996

Television reaches children at a younger age and for more time than any other socializing institution except the family. - Ibid

Research has shown that "mindless" television or video games may idle and impoverish the development of the pre-frontal cortex, or that portion of the brain that is responsible for planning, organizing and sequencing behavior for self-control, moral judgment and attention. - American Academy of Pediatrics - Understanding TV's effects on the developing brain, Jane M. Healy, Ph.D. (From May 1998 AAP News)

Children often behave differently after they've been watching violent programs on television. Children who watched violent shows were more likely to strike out at playmates, argue, disobey authority and were less willing to wait for things that children who watched nonviolent programs. - American Psychological Association, Family and Relationships -Get the Facts: Children and Television Violence

Reducing the amount of time grade-school children spend watching television games and watching television can make them less aggressive toward their peers. - Stanford Report, January 14, 2001 -Limiting TV viewing reduces aggression in children, study says by Krista Conger

In considering decisions about contraceptives, STDs and sexual health choices, teens are almost as likely to get their information from TV (60%) as from a health care provider (62%). - Kaiser Family Foundation, 5/23/01

86% of Britons feel their government should step in to regulate sexually explicit television and magazine images aimed at children, according to a BBC poll of more than 1,000 people. While the strongest support came from 55- to 64-year-olds (92%), a surprising 78% of 18- to 24-year-olds also believe tougher restrictions are necessary to discourage adolescent sex. Britain is currently experiencing a surge in STDs (up 57 percent from 1995) and HIV cases (up 20 percent from last year), along with a rising rate of teenage pregnancies. [Telegraph.co.uk, 9/7/04 stats]

SOURCE: Sex, Violence, and Profanity in the Media Fact Sheet, TV Statistics - Parents Television Council

A picture is truly worth a thousand words.

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