The Columbine killers Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, for instance, were apparently motivated, at least in part, by the prospect of being the subjects of a television movie. Most of what appears on television is make-believe, but nevertheless has profound effects, as hundreds of studies on the influence of television have shown. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychological Association have both demonstrated television's undeniable influence, especially on children. Some complaints the PTC receives from critics amply illustrate this very point. Their letters are often laced with the jargon, phrases, and attitudes of their professed television heroes, and viewers sometimes credit television characters or programs with a profound influence on their lives.
Television is the most public and powerful means of mass communication.
Because of its pervasiveness and persuasiveness, opting out is an entirely inadequate response to the dramatic rise in the amount of televised graphic sex, obscene and profane language, and gratuitous violence found on television today. These depictions affect everyone, including our children's classmates and friends. In addition, when the networks, which traditionally have been the primary source for family entertainment, begin producing raunchy and violent shows, parents are left with few places to turn for family viewing. As the envelope continues to be pushed even further, the chances of avoiding such material become increasingly limited. Merely changing the channel is essentially to accept what is on that channel, and admit powerlessness to change what is on one's own television.