Williametta Hall
English Writing 302
Research Paper
December 14, 2010
The Effect of TV Violence on Children The world is changing rapidly today. TV has become the leading source on entertainment and time consuming for many people. Parents are too busy trying to provide for their children and keep a roof over their head. Some parents can do all these things and still keep a close watch on their children, but others cannot. After a hard day’s work, from one job to another, it is very easy for parents to turn on the television and let the kids watch whatever while they take a nap or relax. Sometimes, parents just want to have some alone time and not be bothered by their children. Television can be a powerful influence in developing
The letter critiqued current media rating systems as being insufficiently “health based,” and proposed several general reforms of the entire media rating system in the United States. (Walsh, 2001: 3) One of these proposed reforms was the creation of a universal media rating system. Specifically, the proposal suggested that a “universal media ratings system should be developed by industry representatives, child development experts, and child advocates to be easily understandable, reliable, and valid. It should also include both age-based and content-based information.” (Walsh, 2001: 3) The primary argument for the creation of a universal rating system, as presented by the coalition, is that the existence of multiple rating systems for media makes it difficult for parents to decipher what is appropriate viewing material for their children. As the coalition letter states, “The same media product that included extreme violence would be rated R if it were a movie, TV-MA if it were a TV show, M if it were a home video game, it would have a red sticker if it were a video game in an arcade, and would have a ‘Parental Advisory’ sticker if it were a music CD. This alphabet soup of ratings is confusing to parents, undercutting the value of the ratings systems.” (Walsh, 1991: 2–3)
Though endorsed by media experts and