In America, the average child spends 1,500 hours each year watching television, according to A.C. Nielson Company, a global leader in marketing information. Seventy-three percent of parents say they would like to limit the amount of television that their children watch. Children’s PressLine spoke with teens about what they choose to do in their spare time, other than watch TV.

Dallas, Texas
My Dad was a musician, and he got me into it. He tried to teach me guitar when I was little, and I didn’t really catch on. Now, I play bass in a band. It has become my love and what I want to do. Writing a song for me helps me get out the things I need to. I feel so much better after I write a song. I can get out all the things I ever wanted to say.

When I first got into punk rock music, my Dad was upset because it’s not that difficult to create. My parents have always told me not to hide anything from anybody— to speak my mind. So that’s what I do with my music; I speak my mind clearly in the lyrics of a song.

Salt Lake City, Utah
The guitar is something that relieves my stress. I just play away in my room to lessen my stress— to let it out. I lay back for 15, 20 minutes, an hour, whatever free time I have to play. No matter how much time I have, I make it a priority to sit down and just let everything out on the guitar.

I played the piano for a while and that was OK, but it wasn’t my favorite thing to do. I think I played because my parents wanted me to get experience with music. With the guitar, though, that was me on my own saying, “I want to do this. I want to be good at it.”

New York, New York
I like basketball. I play basketball. All I think about is basketball. If I had to pick anything special in this world, I’d pick basketball. The sport is the joy of my life.

What do I get out of basketball? I get enjoyment. Playing basketball is really the only thing I do during my spare time. When I get older, I’m hoping to be in the NBA. Ten years from now, I see myself playing in the NBA.

Dallas, Texas
I play sports a lot. It’s not easy. A lot of times you may feel, “I don’t want to do this. I want to go home and sleep.” But instead of doing that, you try your hardest and give all you’ve got. By always trying and participating, you improve a lot.

I remember, in 4th grade I started playing basketball. I couldn’t catch a ball. I couldn’t even dribble or shoot a basketball. But, I still played. And now, I play basketball for junior varsity.

Salt Lake City, Utah
In high school, I did track and ran cross-country. As a team member, I grew tight with a lot of kids involved with the track teams. They became pretty much like family. A lot of them shared the same ideas and interests. My teammates had a major influence on me.

Being part of a team isn’t like a classroom experience. You don’t have to be quiet; instead, you talk and associate with your teammates. I’d tell anyone to join sports teams. Playing sports gets you involved and keeps you active.

I also love playing the piano. I love playing by ear— just sitting down, relaxing and getting into the act of making music. I think that expresses a lot more than just sight reading a piece. When you play an instrument with feeling, it’s truly a form of expressing yourself. Just the way you play music reveals something about you. If you think about how any composer helps create music, it’s amazing.

Caseville, Utah
I love to babysit my neighbors. They are so cute and fun to play with. I learn something new from them every day, and they’re really adorable and entertaining to be around.

Children’s PressLine is a youth journalism organization in Manhattan that trains kids to be reporters and gives young people the opportunity to represent themselves in the media. For more information, visit www.cplmedia.org.