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Protecting children from sex and violence in television programs and…
Protecting children from sex and violence in television programs and movies and on the internet.
Children who view shows in which violence is very realistic, frequently repeated or unpunished, are more likely to imitate what they see
Television can be a powerful influence in developing value systems and shaping behavior. Unfortunately, much of today's television programming is violent.
Hundreds of studies of the effects of TV violence on children and teenagers have found that children may:
begin to accept violence as a way to solve problems
imitate the violence they observe on television
identify with certain characters, victims and/or victimizers
become "immune" or numb to the horror of violence
Extensive viewing of television violence by children causes greater aggressiveness.
Children with emotional, behavioral, learning or impulse control problems may be more easily influenced by TV violence
The impact of TV violence may show immediately in the child's behavior or may surface years later.
Young people can be affected even when their home life shows no tendency toward violence.
Parents can protect children from excessive TV violence in the following ways:
pay attention to the programs their children are watching and watch some with them
set limits on the amount of time they spend with the television; consider removing the TV set from the child's bedroom
point out that although the actor has not actually been hurt or killed, such violence in real life results in pain or death
refuse to let the children see shows known to be violent, and change the channel or turn off the TV set when offensive material comes on, with an explanation of what is wrong with the program
disapprove of the violent episodes in front of the children, stressing the belief that such behavior is not the best way to handle a problem
help with peer pressure among friends and classmates by contacting other parents and agreeing to enforce similar rules about the length of time and type of program the children may watch
Parents can also use these measures to prevent harmful effects from television in other areas such as racial or sexual stereotyping.
If parents have serious difficulties setting limits, or have ongoing concerns about their child's behavior, they should contact a child and adolescent psychiatrist or a mental health provider for consultation and assistance.
The amount of time children watch TV, regardless of content, should be moderated because it decreases time spent on more beneficial activities such as reading, playing with friends, and developing hobbies.
