Call it the ‘idiot box’, call it the ‘window to the world’, call it by whatever name, it is an undeniable fact that the television has come to rule the world in a powerful way. The television has developed as a major social force, shaping the growth of children, bringing new exposure to adults, and swaying public opinions. It is a media serving in a versatile manner: as an advertising medium, an entertainment medium, a public discussion platform, a weather forecast station, a center for cultural arts and music, and as a source of news and education. Various studies have been undertaken to examine the power of television as a social force and they all underline the fact that the television has a major impact on society – sometimes in a positive way and sometimes in a negative way. Thesis Statement: The innumerable benefits wrought by the advent of television far outweigh the negative aspects. The positive social impacts of television are many. Television is a like a window to the world from each and every home on the planet. It brings in live news and information from around the world and even from outer space and depths of oceans. It highlights social problems to create a public awareness. The programs on starvation in Africa, abuse of Iraqi prisoners and coverage of the Iraq war are recent programs that have helped create global awareness. Reading about thousands of children starving in Africa or some other country is one thing; actually seeing the misery is quite another. Television news is different from newspaper and print media as it brings in exact color, sound, time sequences and feelings of events. In democracies television is used for election campaigning and also for public discussion of electoral issues thereby allowing people to make informed choices. Through live coverage of certain events, television makes us all eyewitnesses to crucial events around the world. This promotes formation of individual opinion around the world. Television is often decried as a negative influence on the sexual attitudes and behavior of America’s adolescents. A national sample of adolescents who regularly watched the television program Friends were surveyed about an episode that portrayed a pregnancy resulting from condom failure. Of 506 adolescents (age range, 12-17) who were surveyed, at least 155 had viewed the episode; 65% of viewers remembered the condom failure. Among those who changed their perceptions of condom efficacy as a result of watching, similar proportions came to view condoms as either more or less effective than they had previously believed. Ten percent discussed condom efficacy with adults after watching the show. This study just illustrates the effect that television can have on society as a whole. But those who argue that television is harmful often cite the finding that television is harmful to children. Studies do show that even children below three can be affected by television. (Singer 40). According to a study in the July issue of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, television viewing before the age of three may have adverse effects on subsequent cognitive development (Singer 40). The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no screen ti