terial and the television stations that broadcast the shows. Parents can help by just observing their children. Because there is a great deal of violence in both adult and children's programming, just limiting the number of hours children watch television will probably reduce the amount of aggression they see. In addition: Parents should watch at least one episode of the programs their children watch. Parents can encourage their children to watch programs that demonstrate helping, caring and cooperation. Parents can protect children from excessive TV violence in the following ways: 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 something offensive 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 resolve a problem. To offset peer pressure among friends and classmates, contact other parents and agree to enforce similar rules that limit the length of time and type of program the children may watch. Studies show that these non-violent types of programs can influence children to become more kind and considerate. Although there are different views on the impact of TV violence, one very strong summary is provided by Eron (1992) in his recent congressional testimony: There can no longer be any doubt that heavy exposure to televised violence is one of the causes of aggressive behavior, crime and violence in society. The evidence comes from both the laboratory and real-life studies. Television violence affects youngsters of all ages, of both genders, at all socio-economic levels and all levels of intelligence. The effect is not limited to children who are already disposed to being aggre...
