A study by the American Psychological Association “figures that the typical child, watching 27 hours of TV a week, will view 8,000 murders and 100,000 acts of violence from age 3 to age 12,” reported U.S.News & World Report magazine. Can parents rightly pass this off as having little influence on their children? Or may it involve a “clear and present danger”? Is this where a line must be drawn or a limit placed on free speech?

One study conducted by university psychologists revealed that when cartoons of “fist-flying superheroes” were regularly shown to one group of four year olds and “bland fare” to another group, those who saw the action heroes were more likely to hit and throw things afterward. Nor do the effects of TV violence fade after childhood. Another university study, after tracking 650 children from 1960 to 1995 and looking at their viewing habits and behavior, found that those who watched the most violent television as youngsters grew up to engage in the most aggressive behavior as adults, including spouse abuse and drunk driving.

Some may argue that television and movie violence may not be taken literally by children and that all those horror movies are having no effect on them. “In that case,” commented a British newspaper, “why did a school authority in America’s mid-west have to tell thousands of children that there were no Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the local storm drains? The tiny Turtle fans had been crawling into the drains to look for them, that’s why.”

Homes should be havens for children, not a place where they can become easy prey to those who would exploit and abuse them or where tranquil personalities can be induced to display violent mood swings. “You may feel assured that your child will never become violent despite a steady diet of TV mayhem,” said a U.S. university professor addressing parents. “But you cannot be assured that your child won’t be murdered or maimed by someone else’s child, reared on a similar diet.” Then he urged: “Limiting children’s exposure to TV violence should become part of the public health agenda, along with safety seats, bicycle helmets, immunisations and good nutrition.”

If you would not allow a stranger to come into your home and use abusive language and talk obscenely to your child about sex and violence, then do not allow radio and television to be that stranger. Know when to turn it off or to change the channel. Know what your child is watching, both on television and on the computer, even in the privacy of his room. If he knows his way around the computer and the networks available to him, you may be shocked to learn what his nightly diet comprises. If you do not approve of what your child is watching, just say no and explain why. He will not die if he is restricted.