T.V. is one of those fantastic little time-suckers. On one hand, if you find a show you like, it offers genuine enjoyment, but on the other, it really can become a waste of time. Besides my weekly Friday Night Movie ritual, I’d say I probably don’t even watch an hour of t.v. per week. Crazy, I know, but it has just never really held my attention for long. I’d rather be doing other things. I totally get that I am the odd ball, though.
I kinda wondered what the national average is for watching t.v.–which I should clarify as “screen time,” because YouTube and other mobile device viewing counts in my book. I found a couple of different numbers {here and here} that suggested kids watch between 24-32 HOURS of t.v. per week, while adults are coming in as high as 5 hours per day–um, what?! Holy buckets that seems high. I flat out don’t have 5 extra hours per day, and I honestly don’t think I could find enough to watch during that time if I did.
One of the links above even broke down the viewing time per week by age:
2-11: 24 hours, 16 minutes.
12-17: 20 hours, 41 minutes.
18-24: 22 hours, 27 minutes.
25-34: 27 hours, 36 minutes.
35-49: 33 hours, 40 minutes.
50-64: 43 hours, 56 minutes.
65-plus: 50 hours, 34 minutes.
So, my here’s my question, how much t.v. do YOU watch per day {or week}? Are the numbers I found an accurate representation of our television habits? {Make sure to include all screen time–Netflix on your computer, YouTube on your phone, etc.}
~Mavis
BeckyM says
I watch a screen for about 3 hours a day and my kids watch about 45 minutes a day. I knit while I watch so I still feel productive. 😉
Susan says
I watch Antiques Roadshow on Monday night and a few cooking shows on Sunday (Cook’s Country, America’s Test Kitchen and Martha) If they are reruns the TV goes off.
We have no cable, I have a dinasaur of a cell phone (hardly use it at all) and the only thing I do on the computer is check out my favorite websites (and Pinterest!)
Susan says
* dinosaur * 🙂
Jill says
I will watch NOVA or a good documentary on PBS once a week if it is a topic that interests me. We don’t have cable or satellite and I don’t watch anything online. I much rather read a good book, play games with my family or walk the dog with my hubby.
Joe McBee says
I’m going to say; “Way too much.” In fact, this year I experimented by going a month with no TV viewing at all. I was incredibly productive and felt a greater sense of overall satisfaction at the end of the day. Then football season started and…
Next year I have a goal to go all year with no TV viewing. I will, however, allow myself one movie or one sporting event per week. The reason for that is because watching a movie or my beloved Atlanta Falcons play a game is one of the ways my family spends time together. We discuss the movie we watch or the game and that is time I do not want to miss. Other than that; nada.
That’s next year, though. This year…way too much.
Mavis Butterfield says
Ha! Thanks for being honest. keep us posted on how the family transitions to less next year.
Marcia says
Not much, but I have a full time job and 2 kids.
I’d say that my 2 year old watches about 20-30 minutes in the morning while we shower.
He usually doesn’t watch any in the afternoon, but maybe once a week he’ll watch an hour.
Weekends we have movie nights, but he’ll only watch about an hour.
My 8 year old it depends. We have a “no screen time in the morning” rule.
I try to keep it to 30 min, 1 hour tops after school. But sometimes he sneaks in more. Yesterday he snuck in an extra hour (but in my defense, I was really tired.) When my husband travels, he watches a lot more.
Amy says
I hadn’t really thought about it…until now. I am absolutely disgusted that I have to say “about 40 hours a week”…I mean…that is a JOB! (without the pay of course)….
Mavis Butterfield says
Ha! There lots of stuff like that, right? You sit down and think about it and are like, “uh-oh.” Love that you are so honest about it, though.
Glenda says
0 hours per week; we gave up T.V. years ago. We don’t watch Netflix or Youtube.
Linda says
I would say I watch 2-3 hours a day, mostly sports. I’d rather read. My dad who’s over 65 definitely watches 50 hours a week. He likes cooking shows and sports.
JD says
We gave up tv 5 years ago and haven’t missed it yet. I will email you if and when we do.
Sandra says
About four hours per week. I walk in place while watching. (Or, if I am watching “Dancing with the ‘who ARE those people?'” I will dance. Not very well, though.)
Marcia says
For me? Very little. I would say I watch maybe 42 minutes a week during the week.
Movie night on Friday night, I probably watch half the movie.
On a big TV-watching weekend, it’s probably 1.5 hours.
So, less than 4 hours a week.
Marcia says
HOWEVER, at least two days a week I do 30-40 minute DVD workouts. I do not count those.
Ellen in Clackamas says
I do have cable but got it so I could watch sports in the Fall and winter. I will have the TV on for 3-4 hours on Sunday (especially when my Seahawks are playing). but other than sports I don’t watch much. During the summer I don’t watch any TV just listen to baseball on the radio while doing other things. I do have some not-working-outside-of the-home friends who have hours of screen time…maybe not TV per se but Facebook and Pintrest and web pages…I’d rather be weeding or reading!!!
Mavis Butterfield says
I admit, I don’t watch a ton of T.V., but screen time is a whole other story…:)
Mary Burch says
My husband and I are over 65. We watch TV between sundown and bedtime. In the summer, that might be two or three hours. In winter, that might be 5 hours a day. We do not have cable or reception. We watch netflix movies, or movies I’ve bought. I rarely watch youtube or other videos on the computer, and my husband dislikes the thing. We are busy during the day, but have slowed down a lot as age creeps up on us. When we were younger, we’d watch TV in the winter (dark to bedtime), but turn the cable off in spring and leave it off until the first of November and the holiday specials.
Teckla says
I’m the only chicken in this family. Gave up TV years ago. Don’t miss it at all. Still spend too much time on Facebook, but always deleting pages and looking for pages to drop so it takes less time to review. I limit the number of friends I have as well. Email doesn’t take too much time unless I miss a day or two. Too many other interesting things to do! Have quite a bit on Pinterest, but spend very little time on there these days, maybe a couple time a month or less. Rarely on YouTube.
Preppy Pink Crocodile says
I do watch a lot. I always have the news on while I cook dinner. Though I can’t actually see the tv from the kitchen but I can hear it. And then in the evening I usually have it on, often while I am doing other projects. The time of day I never watch TV though is in the morning. I detest morning shows. But it definitely relaxes me in the evening.
KK @ Preppy Pink Crocodile
Lissa says
Zero. We don’t have a television. I listen to NPR on the radio while I’m doing housework. We don’t have Netflix and I’ve never watched much more than an instructional video on You Tube. I honestly don’t miss it one single bit. I am curious about Mad Men, Downton Abbey and Orange is the New Black, but I’ve never seen any of them. My five year old watches 2-3 hours a WEEK (not day) of PBS Kids on the iPad. I also can’t imagine where I would find the time to watch television. At night my husband and I eat dinner together and talk to one another. It’s nice!
Julia says
I was watching too much tv (4 hours at night) with my sweetie-then I got so tired of “reality” shows and what I call “shoot’ ’em, kill’ em and cut’ em ups’, I decided on 1 late local news show and about the first 20 minutes (monologue) of a late night show.
I would rather quilt, read or learn how to play my alto recorder. To that, I do need to add about 1 hour a day of Internet quilt tutorials and looking up many of onehundred dollars a month links!!!! So all total, I’m averaging 10-15 hours per week.
We got rid of satellite tv about a year ago, and we’re both very happy with good ol’ rabbit ears tv.