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New book reveals the shocking truth about television but offers a ray of hope to couch potatoes across the world!
Boulder, CO (PRWEB) April 19, 2006 -- According to a recent survey, the average American spends over 4.5 hours per day watching television. Katherine Westphal insists that is far too much time wasted on something that is a highly destructive influence on families, individuals, and society. In order to get her message across, she has written two companion books to both warn people of the dangers of TV and help them overcome their TV addiction. The books are available through her website, TrashYourTV.com.
"The Awful Truth About Television" summarizes Ms. Westphal's extensive research into the damaging effects of television, from the addictive effects on individuals to the community-destroying impact on society.
The second book "The TV-Free Workbook" brings these effects to life with such exercises as calculating the amount of time a family watches TV and taking pictures of family members while they are engrossed in a program, capturing on film the zombie-like look that is so common among viewers.
"It's very family-oriented and practical," says Ms. Westphal. "This grew out of both my research and the hands-on experience of getting my three kids and me away from TV." She continues, "Most people don't realize just how harmful watching too much TV can be for their health and well-being. If they did, they would probably start tossing them out their windows."
She admits the effects can be subtle and that it can take effort to notice them. Another method for viewers to become aware of these effects is to go without television for a time. The TV-Turnoff Week, which begins April 24th this year, is a perfect opportunity for viewers to test how much their TV's have taken over their lives. The TV-Turnoff Network has sponsored TV-Turnoff Week every year since 1995.
Watching TV is fast becoming a full-time job for the average American. According to Nielsen Media Research, Inc., the average American watches 4 hours 32 minutes daily, or 32 hours 42 minutes per week. The workbook creates a format for people to turn off their televisions and follow their dreams instead.
"I don't tell people what they should be doing with this time," says Ms. Westphal. "I show people what they could be doing. I think a lot of dreams are being sucked into television sets across the globe. I sincerely hope this book empowers people to get away from their TV's and to start creating healthier lives, more vibrant communities, and a more prosperous and peaceful world."
About Trash Your TV:
The Trash Your TV was created in early 2005 to help increase awareness about the negative effects of watching TV and to offer viewers practical solutions to get in control of their viewing time.
"TV is Trash" says former Material Girl Madonna;
"Trash Your TV" agrees former homeless mother
Boulder, CO. Madonna raised some eyebrows with her recent interview when she claimed that she does not allow her two children, Lourdes and Rocco, to watch TV. "We have TVs but they're not hooked up to anything but movies. TV is trash. I was raised without it. I didn't miss anything. TV is poison."
Katherine Westphal has never met the Material Girl. Yet, she wholeheartedly agrees with Madonna that "TV is trash". Ms. Westphal got rid of the family TV two years ago after a harrowing experience being homeless. Not having access to a TV at that time, she slowly realized that the kids behaved better without it. She got rid of it and never looked back. She felt so strongly about her decision that she created a website, TrashYourTV.com. The site not only highlights the problems with TV, but shows how much better life can be without it.
When two such different moms of such divergent backgrounds agree, it is time to pay attention. The two moms have both realized something important: Children do better without a TV.
One can only speculate why Madonna has forbidden TV in her house. Maybe she realizes that watching too much TV can contribute to obesity. Maybe she does not want her children to witness 18,000 TV murders before they turn 18, or 200,000 acts of violence. Maybe she does not want her kids to watch 40,000 commercials per year for junk food and other useless junk. Maybe she is concerned about the study that showed TV watching caused attention problems in children. Or maybe she simply dislikes the zombie look kids get when they are plugged into the tube.
These are some of the reasons listed by Ms. Westphal on her TV trashing website. “People just don’t realize the impact of watching four hours a day, the national average. It’s not good for your mind or your body. Look at your children’s eyes when they are watching TV. You don’t need a study to tell you that zombie look isn’t healthy," she explains.
"Furthermore, many people have the impression that their kids are missing something if they don’t have a TV. Nothing could be further from the truth. When they are watching TV, they are actually missing quality family time, playing with friends, reading, and physical activity."
"I don’t think Madonna and I have much in common," says Ms. Westphal. "Possibly the only thing we have in common is that we don’t allow our kids to watch TV. That and a big stubborn streak maybe," she says laughing. "Neither of us is an ideal mom. But I know I made the best decision of my parenting career when I got rid of the family TV. Madonna did too. I agree with Madonna: TV is trash."
For more information about living a TV free lifestyle visit www.trashyourtv.com
"Trash Your TV and live a happier, healthier and less stressful life", says single mother of three.
Boulder, CO. A single mother of three has launched a new website with the ambitious goal of convincing people to trash their TV's — or at least make a serious commitment to reducing their viewing hours.
TrashYourTV.com is the brainchild of Katherine Westphal, a single mother of three, who has been living a TV-free life since October 2003. Katherine decided to get rid of the family TV after suspecting it was adversely affecting the behavior of her children, which had remarkably improved during a difficult period when they were made homeless in 2001 and had no access to a television set.
Katherine says: "I did not originally associate the children's improved behavior with a lack of television. At first I assumed it was just the stress of the situation that brought us together as a family. When we settled down again after a couple of months, we got our TV back. Their behavior deteriorated once again. So I began to question: What was the cause of this? Could the TV be responsible for their increased bickering and obstinance?"
Katherine then put her theory to the test by cutting down her children's viewing hours before finally getting rid of the TV altogether. Since then she's seen an amazing improvement in not only her children's behavior, but in her family life in general.
"Since I got rid of the TV we are much closer as a family. That's the most important improvement. The kids also play more in general—outside with friends, with each other, and with their toys. My two-year-old has just learned most of the alphabet. George, my four-year-old, had problems with speech development at that age, and he used to love television."
Katherine then began researching the effects of TV and was horrified by what she learnt. "Most people think TV is harmless, but my research has shown that nothing could be further from the truth. If everyone knew how harmful watching TV can be, I am convinced that most people would seriously consider trashing it. They certainly wouldn't continue watching it for over four hours a day (the national average)."
Some of television's negative effects include:
Obesity - Studies have shown that people who watch 3 or more hours of television per day are twice as likely to be obese as someone who watches less than an hour.
Nag Factor - The average child watches approximately 40,000 tv commercials every year. The advertising industry is well aware of how to target young children so they nag their parents incessantly to purchase unnecessary products. This 'Nag Factor' alone is used to influence an estimated $300 billion in sales annually.
Aggression - By the age of 18 the average child has witnessed over 16,000 murders on their TV set. According to a 32-year study, watching television violence at age 8 was the strongest predictor of aggression later in life.
Addiction - In January 2004, Scientific American came out with some astonishing news: Television is addictive! Why else would we trade our family time, our health, and our hard earned money for something that humanity has survived without for thousands of years?
After learning about the harmful effects of TV, and seeing for herself the benefits of living a TV-free life, Katherine now feels it's important to take her message to a wider audience. She says, "This web site has the potential to make a strong, positive impact on many people's lives."
The TrashYourTV.com website has a wide variety of features including information on the negative impact of television; a quiz which tests TV addiction; tips on cutting down family viewing hours; a detailed list of alternatives to television; a success page for those who have given up TV; and a discussion forum.