Mass media have numerous effects on children, ranging from influencing school performance to increased or reduced aggression. What we do not know, however, is how media availability in the bedroom moderates these effects. Although several researchers have suggested that bedroom media may influence outcomes by displacing other activities (the…

In an attempt to minimize the adverse effects of television violence, the authors implemented a classroom-based intervention with 496 children in 32 classrooms (grades 1 to 4). The intervention consisted of 28 brief lessons conducted by university staff over the course of 7 months. Participants were individually interviewed prior to the…

Reviews the scientific and public-opinion debate on the impact television violence in America has on aggression and violence. Research supports the view that television violence contributes to children's level of aggressiveness and subsequent violence and criminality. Describes attempts to improve the quality of television programming for children…

The rule of thumb for combating violence in school is to remove its antecedents whenever possible and train staff to handle aggressive behavior. School staff should be knowledgeable; join forces with community leaders, police, and parents; implement antigang curricula; treat each student respectfully; and make the school a safe haven. Sidebars…

In an effort to minimize the harmful effects of violent TV, a yearlong intervention was undertaken with children in Grades 1 through 3 (N = 177). The classroom-based intervention consisted of 31 brief lessons that emphasized the many ways in which television distorts violence. As hypothesized, the intervention resulted in a reduction in children's…

This book, which provides information parents can use to counter violent television programing, alerts parents to the fact that television programing in the United States is pushing violent entertainment to its technological limits and allowing children to interact with the programing through their toys. The nine chapters in Part I discuss the way…

Longitudinal and intervention laboratory studies were conducted to investigate the effects of viewing televised violence on the aggressive behavior of elementary school children. In the longitudinal study 505 children were studied over a 3-year period. The measures used included peer nominated aggression, aggression anxiety and popularity,…

Describes and evaluates attempts to mitigate effect that watching television violence has on young children. Most relevant studies have been laboratory experiments, and there is no reported evidence that any intervention has been effective over long-term. Concludes that interventions combining cognitive and behavioral approaches have most promise,…

American children spend an average of 6 hours and 32 minutes each day using various forms of media. Research has suggested that this high level of exposure has a negative impact on children's attitudes and behaviors. For example, media violence increases aggression in children, especially video games which allows children to be the aggressor and…

Parents and educators around the country are concerned about the amount of time children watch television. Part of this concern stems from the fact that a considerable amount of violence is regularly portrayed on television. In addition, those youngsters who watch an excessive amount of television have little time for developing other interests…