Television and kids

Television is popular. Watching television is the leisure activity of choice according to the Bureau of Labor statistics with the average adult watching 35 hours a week. This leads me to believe that watching television and spending time involoved in virtual worlds whether it be online or through video games is taking place of what used to be family time and social gatherings. Has interactive parenting taken a backseat to allowing technology to parent and entertain our children? The average child between two and five years of age spends three and a half hours a day watching television. While I believe television is not bad in itself, I believe it is the amount it is used. I think it is crucial for kids to get out and and run around. Are parents now a days using television as a babysitter instead of as a special treat?