Most Americans agree that decisions about what we or our children see and hear should be made by consumers, not by the government. Yet many parents feel unsure about their ability to take a strong hand in influencing their children's viewing, listening and playing habits.
Parents are actually more powerful mediators of the popular culture than they imagine.
At the same time, cooperative behavior was rewarded and competition and fighting were condemned on the kibbutz. Any values communicated by television were understood in the context of the community's values. The kids may watch TV or play video games at their friends' homes, they may complain-but they also seem to find other ways of amusing themselves. But the majority of American families don't opt out of entertainment technology in the home. But a thoughtful investigation of the effects of family interaction on children's experiences of television by researchers at the University of Hartford and Yale's Family Television Research and Consultation Center found that it's not enough to prohibit shows you don't like.