What's on TV? This is a common question of today's generation. A person might respond with one of the following options; news, sitcoms, cartoons, sports or other miscellaneous programs. Is this really what's on television? Take a closer look. What is consistent about these programs? Violence, violence is what's on television. Objections may arise from this statement due to violent desensitization, but that doesn't change the fact that most shows contain violence. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay "In 1949, only 2% of American homes had a television. This percentage increased to 64% in 1955, 93% by the mid-60s, and 98% today" (Hughes and Hasbrouck 3). With so many televisions in homes today and working parents; “Television has become the closest and most constant companion of American children” (Zuckerman 1). American children begin watching television at an early age and become regular viewers by the time they are two or three years old. The amount of time American children spend watching TV is astonishing: an average of four hours a day, 28 hours a week, 2,400 hours a year, nearly 18,000 hours by the time they graduate from high school. By comparison, they spend only 13,000 hours in school, from kindergarten through seventh grade. American children spend more time watching television than in any other activity besides sleeping. With all this time in front of the television, how much violence are children watching? A typical child will witness 8,000 murders and 100,000 other acts of violence before leaving elementary school (Hughes and Hasbrouck 4). People don't realize the amount of violence on television. With improved special effects, violent scenes are more realistic and grotesque, which attributes to the popularity of violent shows. Additionally, multiple sources indicate that five violent acts per hour occur during prime time television and 20 to 25 violent acts occur during Saturday morning cartoons. Many psychologists agree that watching television violence causes an increase in aggression, especially in young children. Social scientists have conducted studies to determine whether there is a causal link between viewing violence and aggression. Bandura performed a laboratory study that showed four groups of children a different movie. One group saw aggressive physical behavior rewarded, another group saw aggressive physical behavior punished, the third group didn't watch any aggressive behavior, and the last group didn't watch a movie at all. Bandura concludes that children learn to act violently because they imitate behavior that they see being rewarded (Primavera and Herron 3). There are three main types of harmful effects associated with viewing violence. First, children learn aggressive attitudes and behaviors. Accepting violence as a way to solve problems leads to aggressive attitudes and behaviors. Television violence is attractive, effective and the preferred solution to most conflicts. “It is believed that people learn by imitating what they see, and that children are particularly receptive to such learning” (Primavera and Herron 1). When children see that violence is the solution to problems, when they play they adopt this attitude which translates into greater aggression. In 1940, when televisions were in short supply, "the seven major problems in public schools were identified by teachers as speaking out of turn, chewing gum, making noise, running aroundaisles, cutting in line, dress code violations and littering. By 1980, the seven major problems had been identified as suicide, assault, robbery, rape, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, and pregnancy" (Zuckerman 2). The increase in television viewing and televisions in homes has amplified the problems at school for a period of time. Secondly, children become desensitized to real-world violence. People who witness so many violent acts see violence as a normal and accepted way of life not be distressed by acts of violence in real life and were less ready to intervene or ask for assistance when they saw younger children fighting or playing destructively. Third, bystanders develop a fear of becoming victims of violence, she notes also as “mean world syndrome” (Kalin 5). Frequent viewers grow up thinking that the world is a “bad” place. These adults are usually not violent or aggressive, but feel the need to protect themselves with locks, alarms, and others protection methods. Is TV violence the only reason why children's aggression has increased? Childhood aggression is the result of multiple, interactive factors, including child dispositional factors (e.g., temperament, intelligence) and environmental factors (e.g., home and parenting, school, neighborhood). Early socialization experiences shape future socialization experiences. For example, if a child is rewarded by his parents for early aggressive behavior, he is more likely to solve peer problems with aggressive solutions. Parents have a huge influence on their children's lives. Many people believe that bad parenting is the cause of increased aggressive behavior and that this aggression can be reduced through good parenting. While parenting is an important factor, evidence indicates that violent media is also a factor in violent behavior. Children in America watch an excessive amount of violent television. Prolonged exposure to violent material can lead the child to feel disoriented and have an increased distrust of others. It may also cause the child to have an uncomfortable approach to adult problems. Television violence can destroy a child's mind, and the effects could be everlasting. While there are those who do not appear to be negatively affected, it encourages violent behavior in many. One television commentator commented, “Well, we only have one really violent show on our network, and that's 'NYPD Blue'. I admit it's bad, but that's only one night a week” (Grossman 4). How would that commenter feel if someone said, “Well, I only beat my wife in front of the kids one night a week” (Grossman 4)? How can we reduce the effects of television violence? This will require a better television rating system, the use of the V-chip and an active role for parents in screening what their children watch. This will not be an easy task. Parents have a very difficult role in this solution. To reduce the effects of television violence, parents need to reduce the amount of television their children watch. This is a difficult task because a quarter of preschoolers, more than a third of elementary school children, and more than half of high school youth have televisions in their bedrooms (Strasburger and Donnerstein 7). The goal is still achievable, but parents have to use the special functions of televisions. Newer televisions come with parental locks. This means that a password is required for.