Is TV a pollutant? It might be. Studies have linked childhood television viewing with lower test scores, reduced cognitive development, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents limit childhood TV time to no more than one to two hours per day and keep younger children away from the tube entirely.

Here are some ways to help keep the set turned off:

• Remove all TV sets from your children’s bedrooms and make them TV-free zones.
• Place the TV off the beaten household path. An out-of-the-way berth makes it more difficult to leave the set on as default entertainment.
• Gradually phase out the channels your TV receives. Use TV and cable box controls to slowly remove access to all channels until you’re down to just a few limited options.
• Disconnect the TV from antennas and cables entirely so that it can only be used to watch recorded educational or entertainment material.
• Restrict TV viewing to certain channels and times only. Keep the TV off at all other times. Designate certain days of the week, like school days, TV-free.
• Hide the remote controls. Today’s TVs are hard to watch without them!
• Reward your kids with a certificate for a free book at a local bookstore in exchange for going a certain number of days without TV.
• Provide your kids with alternate family activities. Listen to music, play games, do arts and crafts projects, go on walks, read stories, etc.
• Explain your rules in positive, concrete terms. For example, replace phrases like "You can't watch TV," with, "Let's turn off the TV so we can do a family activity.”
• Don't use TV as a reward or punishment. This only increases the television’s power and allure.
• Make sure your kids aren’t watching TV on their computers. It’s becoming easier to watch television shows online.

For more information about turning off your television sets, visit the Center for Screen Time Awareness and Turn Off Your TV. For an excellent resource on pulling the plug and pulling kids outdoors, we recommend Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, by Richard Louv.

photo: Aaron Escobar