Television and movies have always contained violent acts, substance abuse and unhealthy behavior. Parents are no longer bodies of influence to their children. Perhaps the breaking up of the nuclear family has distanced children from one or both parents. Whatever the reason, it is apparent that parents are not devoting enough time to their children, and as a result, children have found their families elsewhere, such as in television shows and movies. Maybe parents should not be so quick to blame Mel Gibson's latest movie for their child's urge to harm others and to become a smoking fiend.
Chances are the problem lies on a much more local level, perhaps even within the home.
Sure, it is much easier to blame someone or something else, but the answer is found within the home, requiring parents to initiate some extended time and energy. Ironically, time and energy are the resources that many parents lack, giving rise to the scapegoat of television. For parents that no longer want their child to mimic Hollywood, perhaps becoming their role models would divert their emphasis away from behaving like characters in movies and towards that of their own parents. Many parents claim that banning certain television shows and movies from their children is a simple answer to this complex problem. This could work, and rest assured, several families have tried this.