The question of whether the media influences aggression has recently become an area of great interest. More specifically, the area of whether aggression and violence is having a detrimental effect on children, and therefore is one of the causes in the recorded number of youth violent crimes.

Statistically speaking, the amount of television being viewed by children has risen:

"Children now spend approximately 25 hours a week watching television, a dramatic increase when compared to 10 years ago" (Miller, 1998)

However, more alarmingly is the evidence that shows the increase in violence on our television screens. Many psychologists have focused on this area and have found startling results including:

" By the time the average child leaves elementary school, he or she will have witnessed at least 8,000 murders and more than 10,000 acts of violence on television" (Smith, 1996)

" In 1982, airtime for violence increased from 1.5 hours per week to 43 hours per week in 1986, and in 1980 most of the children's programmes featured 18.6 violent acts per hour and now have 26.5 violent acts per hour" (Smith, 1992)

" 57% of television programmes contain "psychological

"Although fewer studies exist on pro-social effects, the effects size is much larger, holds up better under more stringent experimental conditions and is consistently higher for both boys and girls, that the potential for pro-social behaviour overrides the small but persistent effects of anti social programmes"

However, this is a very weak study to support the hypothesis that violence on television will affect future aggressive behaviour as something that was watched ten years ago cannot solely affect the behaviour of an eighteen-year-old! Other factors must play a much larger role such as peer groups, family situations and other environmental factors that occurred more closely to the time of observation, not a television programmes watch ten years previously.

ly harmful" violence that can lead to aggressive behaviour in a child" (Spock, 1992)

As the parents are watching with the child or children, they can suggest playing a game of "Count the acts of violence" and compare the totals at the end of the program. Total the answers and compare the differences between parents and children (Hough, Erwin, 1999). The parents could point out why they had these differences and figure a reason how to solve them without using an act of violence.

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Approximate Word count = 3068
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page double spaced)