"We recommend families participate in Screen-Free Week by turning off their TVs, computers and other screens for entertainment April 18–24, 2011. In addition to the health benefits, many people find that choosing to cut back their screen time offers an opportunity to replace it with family activities such as taking walks, playing games and spending time outside, and this can be rewarding and satisfying."

Joyce O’Meara
Minnesota Physical Activity and Nutrition Program
Minnesota Department of Health

"Since external entertainment sources like television demand that our brains perform only in certain ways, we need to create downtime away from screens. Only when children have the potential of being bored will their brains jump in and begin to invent and create.  So do yourself and your children a favor and turn off the screens this week, if only to see what happens when the prepackaged entertainment stops and your brains can wander wherever they may."

Michael Rich, MD, MPH, Director
Center on Media and Child Health (CMCH)

“With a childhood obesity rate of 11% (2009 Youth Risk Behavior Survey), Nevada has certainly not escaped the obesity epidemic impacting the US.  To help reverse this alarming trend, NPHA strongly supports evidence-based strategies such as Screen-Free Week to increase the amount of time that our youth spend being physically active each day.  An estimated 1,600 Nevada students participated in Screen-Free Week (formerly TV-Turnoff) activities coordinated by the Southern Nevada Health District in 2010.  An analysis of preliminary data indicated that prior to 2010 Turnoff activities, participating students watched an average of 3.17 hours of television a day.  After the Turnoff activities students reported watching an average of 1.05 hours of television daily—a reduction of 2.12 hours!”

Deborah Williams, Executive Board Member/Vice President of Southern Chapter
Nevada Public Health Association

“Our goal at SPARK is to promote healthy, active lifestyles, and one way to accomplish this is to reduce screen time among children and adolescents. That’s why we’re excited to support this year’s Screen-Free Week and make progress towards raising a healthier generation of youth.”

Billy Beltz, Marketing Director
SPARK Physical Education and Wellness Programs

"Knowing how to take a break from screen entertainment is important for our youngest generation. Remembering that we can survive without YouTube, Facebook and Dancing with the Stars is important for all of us. My sons are already screen-free during the school week, so they think Screen-Free Week will be harder for me and their dad than it will be for them. You know what...they're right!"

Geralyn Bywater McLaughlin, Director
Empowered by Play