Take time together to talk about how violence and guns are glamorized on TV and in video games. After limiting TV use, families can work together to choose appropriate programs. Pediatricians recommend using a TV guide or newspaper to help with selections. Parents are the most important role models for their children. In our society, television is the second most important source of information.
Watch shows together and review what video games the kids are playing.
Let them know your feelings about violence on TV and seek their help in making a change in your family's TV and video game use. Contact local PTA to find out about National PTA programs and pamphlets addressing television viewing. All Canadian and US studies of the effect of prolonged childhood exposure to television show a positive relationship between earlier exposure to TV violence and later physical aggressiveness. The critical period of exposure to television is pre-adolescent childhood. Investigators at four Universities randomly sampled 2,500 hours of fictional entertainment from 2,693 cable network programs over 20 weeks in 1994-1995.