NCJ Number
167325
Date Published
1997
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This paper argues that the more violent the TV programming, the more likely young viewers are to commit violent crimes; it faults the television industry for failing to curtail the violence in their broadcasts and insists that decisive action must be taken to lessen children's exposure to violent programming.
Abstract
Research suggests that exposure to violent programming on TV increases physical aggression in children, such as getting into fights and disrupting the play of others. Many argue that this increase in aggression contributes to the increase in criminal violence. They cite studies such as one that shows children who watched a lot of TV violence at 8 years of age have a higher propensity to commit violent crime by age 30, including the physical abuse of their own children. The TV networks have made a concession by providing a rating system to alert viewers to impending violence. This alert system is no more than a beginning, since it requires parents to monitor TV programming and prevent their children from watching violent programs. The minimum next step is to take advantage of the technical capacity to manufacture TV sets with a computer chip that will allow parents, unilaterally, to block off programs that carry the V rating. This should be accompanied by an effort by TV programmers to reduce the violence portrayed on television.