From April 23-29, 2007, 20 million people around the world will turnoff televisions, computers, iPods and assorted other electronic media gadgets and experience Turnoff Week 2007. Formerly TV-Turnoff Week, it is now much more than television.

With states like Kentucky and New York making this a statewide initiative as they struggle with their respective obesity epidemics and regions like Stamford, Connecticut, Northern California and Orange County, Florida (Orlando) join in bringing along their business community as well as nonprofits, governments and schools, the movement continues to grow.

"This, the 13th annual Turnoff, is about kick starting a serious lifestyle change here in the United States and around the world" said Robert Kesten, Center for SCREEN-TIME Awareness' executive director. "The World Health Organization has said that overweight has overtaken malnourished as a leading cause of international health problems. Crippling the enabler the screen not letting it coax us into a sedentary life, eating unhealthy foods, falling in to the trap it sets, is but a first step in taking control of the electronic media in our lives and no longer allowing it to control us."

With Americans watching nearly five hours of television per day, and an additional two or more hours on the computer each day, there is nothing we do more than screen-time, for many of us not even sleep! Our commitment to the world we live in is compromised as more of us spend more and more time following the lives of those in virtual landscapes. Either we watch hour upon hour of television, or we are trapped in computer games. No matter what, we are sitting for far too long, our waists continue to expand and our attention spans get shorter and shorter.

Economically, socially, morally we have to put the personal tech genie back in the bottle and exercise greater balance in our lives between the outstanding technological advances and the other things in our lives. We cannot continue to race home after a work day in front of one screen and then simply replace it with another.

From sea to shining sea activities will take place in celebration of Turnoff Week 2007, including events at the Dahesh Museum of Art in New York City (2:00 PM, Saturday, April 14), Aptos Middle School in San Francisco (10:00 AM, Tuesday, April 17) and the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles (11:00 AM, Saturday, April 21). Other activities will include hundreds of Game Nights, Bowling Parties, Poetry Slams, basketball and baseball games, hikes, reading, studying, picnics, time spent with friends and family and so much more.

"All the things we thought we didn't have time for, we will be able to do them, this week should remind us that there is a wonderful world out there if we just take a few minutes to invest ourselves in it" concluded Kesten.

Along with the above mentioned organizations, cities and states, partners for this year's Turnoff include Bubblegum Books, ThinkFun, Barnes & Noble in Orlando, Florida, schools, libraries and organizers in all 50 states and the District of Columbia and many more.

This year a dozen US based universities will take a look at the impact Turnoff Week has on their communities. These research efforts will be published by the Center in its first Global Look At Electronic Media's Impact. Also this year, the Center will start the campaign for Universal Screen-Time Reduction: REM & G (Reduce Electronic Media & Games).

This is the biggest of all Turnoff Weeks, but it is only the first of many big things to come.

For Immediate Release
Contact: Robert Kesten
202-333-9220 or rkesten@screentime.org