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Turn on the power, then tune out the TV
Thursday, September 18, 2008
By the time you can turn on your television, it may be time to turn off your television.
According to the recorded message Wednesday, Sept. 17, on the Time Warner answering machine:
"Our crews are standing by and will follow Duke (Energy) and Dayton Power & Light Co. as they restart our service in the tri-state area. Please keep in mind that when the power is restored, the cable service may not start immediately. Due to the severe impact of the storm, it is impossible to predict when full service will be available."
For customers of the cable company, that might be just in time for Turnoff Week.
Turnoff Week, which starts Saturday, is when families are urged to spend a week without televisions, computers or any other device that utilizes a screen. But in thousands of households, the storm that roared through the Miami Valley did the disconnecting for them.
And some people would say that's a good thing.
On average, people watch four hours of television a day and then spend another four-plus hours with computers, games, video, iPods and cell phones, according to www.Screentime.org. This does not include work-related activities such as using a computer for writing newspaper columns, which could add as much as another 10 minutes a day.
Although the dangers of looking at screens have been well documented, the organization reminds us that it "cuts into family time and is a leading cause of obesity in both adults and children. Excessive use of screens for recreational purposes leads to a more sedentary and solitary lifestyle, and that is unhealthy for all of us, both mentally and physically."
And I'm sure that sitting comatose in front of a screen for one-third of the day can lead to overweight children. Although, if I had to guess, I'd say it also may have something to do with the fact that their parents take them to the nearest Burger Doodle four times a week for dinners of double bacon cheeseburgers, supersized fries and tubs of cola with unlimited refills.
But turning off screens is not just a matter of weight control.
"Turning off the screen gives us time to think, read, create and do the things we never have time for," www.Screentime.org points out. "This allows us to connect with our families and engage in our communities. We feel good about ourselves as we grow more physically and mentally active."
Which is, of course, the way we all were before the invention of screens. I don't remember much about the days before television, but I do recall spending a great deal of my childhood years reading, although I'm not sure how much mental activity was generated by Donald Duck comic books.
So if you, as a parent, turn off your screen this week, what you can expect is that your children immediately will demand to read books. I don't know how reading a book fights obesity, but maybe turning pages burns more calories than I would have thought.
I hope this information encourages you, too, to consider participating in Turnoff Week. And, if you want more information, when your electricity is restored you can go to www.adobe.com to read all about it.
On your computer screen.
Contact this writer at (937) 225-2439 or at dlstewart@DaytonDaily News.com.
