I have 3 kids - 2 of whom are old enough to watch tv. Oldest is 5, middle is 3 and they used to watch on average around 4 hours of tv a day. I was uncomfortable with how much they watched but figured I wasn't the one at home with them all day so I daren't raise it with her....
My wife however, got sick of tantrums, fights etc and decided to remove the TV. Not just turn it off - REMOVE it from the room - it now sits in our bedroom under a blanket. This was 3 weeks ago.
What happened? Nuclear war? Nope - the opposite, the kids whined off and on for a week and then forgot about it. They are both more pleasant to be around - less tantrums, use their imaginations more, play better together and have vastly improved with their reading, drawing and creative play. We're loving it - they get one movie a week as a treat and get to wach it on Friday nights with pizza. TV, DVD's etc are now viewed as a big deal and they enjoy them more.
We're sold - I don't even miss the stupid thing and I'm convinced our kids are better off for it.
(No we're not Amish)
Credit ... is the only enduring testimonial to man's confidence in man. -- James Blish