NCJ Number
160256
Date Published
1995
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Consumers should boycott the products of those companies that advertise on violent TV shows; this economic incentive would dramatically reduce TV violence.
Abstract
The Commission on Violence and Youth of the American Psychological Association reported 5 to 6 violent acts per hour on prime-time television and 20 to 25 on Saturday morning children's programs. Cable and MTV had more. The Commission concluded, "There is absolutely no doubt that higher levels of viewing on television are correlated with increased acceptance of aggressive attitudes and increased aggressive behavior.....Children's exposure to violence in the mass media, particularly at young ages, can have harmful lifelong consequences." Although the networks have been reluctant to accept their responsibility for the impact of violent programming on young viewers, the networks are now feeling the heat from the public and the Federal Government; fearing Federal intervention, programming now offers warning labels. For the quarter of American families managed by one parent, however, the parent is at work and therefore not present to monitor a child's TV viewing. Any effort at Federal regulation of program content stirs fears of potential government regulation of speech and press. Attorney General Janet Reno has suggested that parents refuse to buy products that advertise on violent television programs. This recommendation has merit, since it strikes at the heart of the economic incentive for the production of such programs. This organized public action will be more effective than government regulation.