No TV Is A Real Turnoff For Most Kids Schools Plan Activities To Channel Frustrations During National TV Turnoff Week

The first National TV-Turnoff Week is showing mixed results in Eastern Washington where only a handful of schools encouraged students and their families to turn off televisions.

“It’s hard,” said Karilynn Phillips, 10, a fifth-grader at Balboa Elementary in Spokane. “I keep turning the TV on and thinking, ‘Oh, yeah, I forgot. Dang it.”’

The average American child spends 900 hours a year in school and 1,500 hours a year watching television.

“Our kids are growing up too fast and TV is a big part of that,” said Balboa Principal Lou Haymond, who wants to expand the event to two weeks next year.

TV-Free America, a new non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., organized the weeklong TV fast to encourage Americans to think about how much television they watch. The no-TV week ends Sunday.

Moses Lake School District embraced the idea.

Teacher Kay Latham organized five days of free after-school activities as alternatives to TV viewing. A bowling alley donated free games. An athletic club opened its golf course. School libraries stayed open from 3 to 5 p.m. one day.

“Everyone we’ve contacted has been eager to help out and donate what they can,” said Latham, who has two young children and kept the television off at home this week.

The event was endorsed by the American Medical Association, the American Federation of Teachers, the Children’s Defense Fund and other groups.

TV-Free America claimed more than 1 million children and their families took a “No-TV” pledge. The group mailed more than 3,500 organizers’ kits to people who requested them and estimated 300 people per kit would participate.

That estimate appeared overly optimistic after checking with area schools that TV-Free America said ordered kits. About half the schools said they were not taking part.

At Cashmere Middle School in Chelan County, librarian Nancy Robertson organized a school-wide no-TV week with daily announcements and bulletin boards promoting a week without television.

“I was surprised at the number of kids who were horrified and said, ‘Oh, no. We can’t turn off the TV,”’ Robertson said.

“One girl said they had seven television sets in their house, including one in the bathroom. I was very shocked.”

Balboa Elementary students will receive a certificate if they go a week without the tube.

Some Balboa students are not convinced there’s anything wrong with TV. They miss watching cartoons during breakfast and after school. They miss “The Simpsons” and “My So-Called Life.”

They complain about parents who continue to watch TV without them and of taunts from big brothers.

“My brother says, ‘There’s a really good show on tonight. Want to watch it with me?’ It’s not fair,” said Joey Gallagher, 11.

Michelle Morefield, 10, isn’t worried about missing her favorite shows: “Home Improvement,” “Grace Under Fire” and “Thunder Alley.”

“They said we could tape them,” she said.