Media, children, and violence: a public policy perspective

Pediatrician advocacy concerning the impact of television violence on children should be clearly grounded in the holistic concern of pediatricians with children's health and well-being. Pediatricians should not promote legislative or regulatory efforts to reduce children's exposure to television violence by proscribing certain kinds of program content. Instead, priority should be given to strategies that improve the content and quality of television programming viewed by children and that enhance the viewing choices made by children and their families. Such strategies include providing parent education and pressing for strong implementation of the Children's Television Act. Pediatricians should dedicate their efforts to increasing the awareness of broadcasters and the general public, acting as educators and persuaders. In order to advocate and educate effectively, pediatricians need to amplify their own knowledge and understanding of television-related issues and their significance. Finally, because children's exposure to television violence is but one part of a larger social context, pediatricians concerned with this issue should devote significant attention to related problems that diminish the health and well-being of children.