Television can have a powerful influence in developing value systems and .
In the United States children watch an average of three to .
four hours of television daily (Cantor & Wilson, 28). Unfortunately, much of today's .
television programming is violent. Studies of the affects of television violence on .
children and teenagers have found that children may become insensitive to violence. .
Consequently, they tend to gradually accept violence as a way to solve problems by .
imitating the violence they observe on television; they identify with certain characters, .
good or bad. Therefore, extensive viewing of television violence by children causes .
greater aggressiveness (Rosenthal).
Not all television is bad. There are several excellent programs dedicated to young .
children. Some programs incorporate entertainment and education to help children learn .
and identify characters, shapes, and colors. Programs such as Blue's Clue's and Sesame .
Street also help promote good behavior and cooperation. Dr. Ernest Boyer, President of .
the Carnegic Foundation for the Advancement of teaching and former U.S. .
Commissioner of Education, stated: "Television sparks curiosity and opens up distant .
worlds to children. Through its magic, youngsters can travel to the moon or to the .
bottom of the sea. They can visit castles, take river trips, or explore imaginary .
lands With selective viewing television can richly contribute to school readiness" .
(Chen, 122). Unfortunately, most children's programming does not teach children what .
most parents and teachers want them to learn.
In the book, Social Learning Theory by Albert Bandura, he presents a major .
thesis about television violence. He believes in the importance of observing and .
modeling the behaviors, attitudes, and emotional reactions of others, especially, in films .
and television. Bandura believes that learning through modeling is very important and .
says that "Learning would be exceedingly laborious, not to mention hazardous, if people .
