TV Turnoff Network

TV turnoff

TV Turnoff Week was launched by Adbusters magazine and other organizations in 1994 and championed by TV-Free America (which is now called Center for SCREEN-TIME Awareness, CSTA). The CSTA is an organization that encourage all people to use electronic screened media responsibly and then have more time for a healthier life and more community participation. It is a grassroots alliance of many different organisations.

So far over 70 million people have taken part and CSTA estimates that 20 million people took part in 2008. The designated weeks are:

2008 - April 21-27 and September 21-27
2009 - April 20-26 and September 20-26
2010 - April 19-25 and September 19-25

In 2008 Adbusters changed the name of TV Turnoff Week to Mental Detox Week to reflect the growing predominance of computers and other digital devices. CSTA changed the name in 2007 to TURNOFF WEEK, to reflect the growing number of devices people use to watch screened media.

Members and supporters

Important members of the network include Adbusters in Canada and White Dot in the UK (named after the small white dot that would briefly appear when turning off older TV sets, especially black-and-white ones). A related organization, Asesores TV La Familia Internacional works in many countries with large Spanish-speaking populations. In France, Casseurs de pub is part of the event.

More than seventy other organizations support the movement in the US, such as the American Heart Association, the American Medical Association, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and the YMCA. (A complete list is available on the TV-Turnoff Network site.) In 2004, a major partnership was created with the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Anti-TV "guerrillas" use a small device known as TV-B-Gone to remotely turn off television sets within 14 meters in an attempt to reduce "ambient TV" in public space.