I had heard this figure before about the time the average American wastes in front of a TV but never had a hard reference for it. I had always thought it was some writer’s exaggeration of the truth or someone was quoting old data but this number turns out to not only be current but accurate. It is confirmed from no less an authoritative source than the U.S. Census Bureau.
This really is quite sad and shocking that the AVERAGE person in the United States is watching this much TV. I will rarely watch a DVD for two hours and I can’t sit down that long in one place without getting uncomfortable. It just boggles my mind that people can watch TV for this long when there are so many better things to do in life.
Makes you wonder, in particular, why parents remain utterly clueless about the addictive nature of TV that spurs the epidemic of childhood obesity.
Another health-harming factoid from the latest report that can seriously damage your health: Americans drink a gallon of soda every week, and it could be tainted with benzene too.
Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2007 Free Full Text PDFsYahoo News December 15, 2006