Children in the United States view an average of 4 hours of TV daily. When children spend these many hours for watching TV, time for other activities that are essential for youth development, such as playing outside with other children, reading, talking with other children and adults, are severely limited. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidelines say children older than 2 should watch no more than 1 to 2 hours a day of quality programming. And, according to the AAP guidelines, children under age 2 should have no "screen time" (TV, DVDs or videotapes, computers, or video games) at all. Adult members of the family need to be good role models and limit their viewing time as well. Increased screen time is related to unhealthy weights in both adults and children.

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