The Effects of Televised Violence on Children
             Today, American children watch an average of three to four hours of television daily, which averages out to be twenty-eight hours per week. Many people may not be aware of how powerful an influence Television is on developing values and forming behavioral patterns in children¡s lives. Sadly, much of today¡s television programs are violent.
             Children age eight and under are effected the most by these acts of violence seen on TV daily. This age is very crucial in a child¡s development; they are learning social behavior that will stay with them throughout their lives. At this age, small children have trouble distinguishing between fantasy and reality. Studies have shown that here is when they begin to form their beliefs about aggression. These TV shows are sending the message to children across America that yes, violence is acceptable and that no one is willing to stop it.
             We need to realize that small children see these cartoon characters, WWF wrestlers, and super heroes as role models, they want to be just like them. My own seven year old cousin had his forehead split open after his friend decided to hit him over the head with a fold-up chair, which is done on WWF by one of their wrestlers. His friend¡s response was that the man on TV never ends up hurt. This is why we need to view these shows through the eyes of a child, we know and understand that it is so fake and far fetched on TV for anyone to believe that there is any truth in it that we many times assume that young children do to. Unfortunately they don¡t and if they continue to watch this violence on TV only more and more children are going to end up with split foreheads, if not worse. Studies have also shown that young girls who often watched TV shows featuring aggressive heroines in the 1970s have grown up to be more aggressive adults involved in more confrontations, shoving matches, chokings, and knife fights...