Here's how to screen your kids' TV exposure

Published: June 3, 2008, 5:38 am

By ARMIN BROTT Amid all the hype about kids and "screen time," there are really two issues parents must deal with: content and time.ContentSince children's television was deregulated in 1982, violence and sexuality have skyrocketed. Air time for war cartoons on broadcast TV has increased from 1.5 hours per week in the early '80s to more than 40 hours today. And that's not counting cable. In 1982, children's programs featured an average of 18 violent acts per hour. Now we're up to 27.And study after study shows a direct correlation between witnessed violence and aggressive behavior and reduced empathy. According to an American Psychological Association task force report on television, by the time the average child leaves elementary school, he or she will have witnessed at least 8,000 murders and more than 100,000 other assorted acts of violence on television.Add violent video games and questionable Internet content, and you have a genuinely troubling issue of influences. Content

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