Kids and the time they spend watching TV

The DJ on the radio just said that according to a survey , kids in America spent up 35 hours a week watching television .
6 more hours and they would go into overtime if they were ' on the clock' at a job .

I think that'd be a really rare thing right? That's 'up to' that amount of time.

Actually , for a very large percentage of kids in America , I am inclined to believe that up to and more than 40 hours a week of TV is about normal. There are parents that start using the TV as a 'babysitter' for their children when the children are to young to walk or talk . They will put in a tape or DVD or put the TV on a channel with children's shows plop the kids in front of the TV and go about doing whatever they are doing whether it's cleaning or sleeping or anything in between .

I dunno how much time is actually spent "watching" rather than staring blankly at it.

I can't even imagine watching that much TV.

I agree.
I was raised without a TV in the home and I raised my kids the same way. but I have seen my grand children plopped down in their play pen and a favorite tape put in while mom went back to bed for a few more hours .talking to other parents and grand parents i know , this is not an uncommon practise.