Television and Media Violence – Affect on Children
Exposure to Violent Television Causes Aggressive Behavior in Children

Prepared for
Mrs. Martha Jagel, Professor
Rogers State University

Prepared by
Ashton Duncan, Student
Rogers State University

June 20th 2013

Television is the most powerful medium the world has ever seen. Never before has it been possible to communicate and so strongly influence millions of people at the same moment right in their own homes. But its misuse has been felonious, and society is paying an increasing price (Langone, 1984). Almost weekly the press carries some story about the harmful effects of television on children. Parent-teacher lobbyists wring their hands about the violence depicted on Saturday morning children''s programs. Nutritionists decry commercials that tout sugar-laden junk food to youngsters. Consumer advocates clamor against the deceptive marketing of children's toys. In Washington, D. C., politicians anxiously express their regrets, then turn to more pressing business (Landesman, 1995). This paper intends to address the behavioral effects that violent television has on children. Violence and television has been the subject of numerous controversial studies for the past thirty years. The most persistent questions have concerned aggressive, anti-social, or delinquent behavior and their link, if any, to violent television entertainment (Paik & Comstock, 1994). Numerous articles, written on almost every aspect of this problem, have treated television violence, as a social issue, as a parental issue, as a media issue, as a network power and greed issue, as a public health issue, as a government policy issue, and as an issue for children to resolve themselves. This discussion will address the problem from the perspective that parents are primarily responsible for controlling the amount