By the age of 11,
the average child
will witness
100,000 acts of
violence and
8,000 murders
on TV. ⁶

• Do not rely solely on V-chip technology and the rating system.

• Watch with your child. According to research, watching a program with your child appears to limit the effects of TV violence because in part it reduces your child’s perception that the violence is real and reduces his identification with the individual committing the act. ⁴

• Process with your child what he is viewing and teach him to make a wise choice. Ask him why he likes the program and how it makes him feel about himself, others, and God. Consider what is most important to the characters in the show. What choices do they make? What are their values?

• Try watching quality DVDs instead of TV shows.

• In order to avoid inappropriate commercials, record programs and edit or fast-forward through commercials.

• Become an advocate for quality television.

• Research and preview what your family may watch before you let your child view.

• Set a good example. Ask yourself if you think God cares about what you watch.

• Make a family media covenant. Agree together about what you want to accomplish before the TV is turned on, what shows to watch, and how much time per day to spend on screen time.

TV RATINGS

By the age of 18, the average child will witness 200,000 acts of violence and 40,000 murders on TV. ⁷

kIDS’ PRIME TIME vIEwING

According to the Nielsen Media Research the five most watched prime time shows watched by children during the 2006 season and the first part of the 2007 season were as follows:

1) American Idol^®

2) Survivor

3) The Simpsons^™

4) Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

5) American Dad

Commercial Concerns

Sponsor ads and previews for upcoming programs are the two types of television commercials. The most intense sources of TV violence come in the form of promotions for upcoming programs or movies. When advertising for an upcoming show,

programmers use the most violent scenes in an attempt to grab the attention of viewing audiences. Upcoming program spots contain 16.88 violent acts per commercial minute compared to 7.57 per program minute. ⁵ Because the content of programs does not necessarily coordinate with the commercials that are aired, even if you are watching a family-friendly show you must be aware of commercials. 

¹American Academy of Pediatrics, “Television and the Family,” www.aap.org.

²Caroline Schulenburg, “Dying To Entertain,” Parents Television Council, www.parentstv.org.

³Robert F. Tamburro, M.D., et. al. “Unsafe and Violent Behavior in Commercials Aired During Televised Major Sporting Events,” Pediatrics 114 no. 6 (December 2004). ⁴American Psychological Association, “Childhood Exposure To Media Violence Predicts Young Adult Aggressive Behavior, According to a New 15-Year Study,” ( 9 March 2003) www.apa.org.

⁵Michael R. Hyman, Kevin J. Shanahan, and Charles M. Hermans, “Violent Commercials in Television Programs for Children,” New Mexico Business Outlook, http://bbrs. nmsu.edu/nmbizoutlook.

⁶Parents Television Council, “TV Bloodbath: Violence on Prime Time Broadcast TV,” www.parentstv.org.

⁷Ibid.

Amy Ivey has a Ph.D. in Psychology and Counseling from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. She and her husband, Keith, serve as North American Mission Board Missionaries. They are the proud parents of Jacob, Katharine, Laura, and John Mark.

Beginning in 2000, television sets

13 inches and larger were made with V-chip technology. The purpose of the technology is to allow parents to block television programs they do not wish their children to view. Parents set the V-chip to display only certain rated shows. The ratings apply to all television programming except sporting events, news, and commercials. The ratings are as follows:

• TV-Y — All children

• TV-Y7 — Children 7 and older – contains mild violence

• TV-Y7-FV — Children 7 and older – contains fantasy violence that is more intense

• TV-G — General audience – contains little to no violence, no strong language, and little to no sexual content

• TV-PG — Parental guidance is suggested – contains moderate violence, some sexual content, or strong language

• TV- 14 — Parents strongly are cautioned for children 14 and under – contains intense violence, sexual content, or strong language

• TV-MA — Mature audience – contains graphic violence, strong sexual activity, and crude language. Content descriptors are used to indicate sexual content (S), violence (V), language (L), and suggestive dialogue (D).

The Parents Television Council (PTC) argues that the ratings system and V-chip technology are not working to protect children from inappropriate TV programming. Ratings inconsistently are applied and used because each network arbitrarily labels the ratings to their programs. The PTC found that two-thirds of the shows they analyzed lacked one or more of the content descriptors. The age-based rating system would block 50 to 99 percent of all prime time viewing because the majority of programs are rated either PG or TV- 14. Perhaps this is why many families do not choose to use the V-chip technology.

Source: Katherine Kuhn, “The Ratings Sham II,”

Parents Television Council, www.parentstv.org.

Source: Parents Television Council, “What Are Your Children Watching?” www.parentstv.org.

MARCH 2008 PARENTLIFE 15