Despite all this evidence, Channel One's underlying message is that watching television, commercials and all, is something that should be encouraged. Millions of Americans are so hooked on television that they fit the criteria for substance abuse as defined in the official psychiatric manual, according to Rutgers University psychologist Robert Kubey. Dr. William Dietz, a director at the Centers for Disease control in Atlanta, has conducted extensive studies that link television-watching to obesity and eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia. The health consequences of America's TV habit are gaining increasing levels of attention. This is an important battle.
Kids typically spend three hours a day in front of the tube, and adults even more.
Such numbers are well-known, but the implications often go unnoted. TV viewing is the principal source of inactivity, and inactivity has become a nationwide problem. It is related to obesity which is becoming a national norm. Over half of all Americans are overweight, and roughly a third are clinically obese. The percentage of overweight children aged 6-17 has doubled since 1968.