Spring 2003

TV Violence
Since the advent of television, the effect of TV violence on society has been widely studied and vigorously debated. Based on the cumulative evidence of studies conducted over several decades, the scientific and public health communities overwhelmingly conclude that viewing violence poses a harmful risk to children. Critics of the research challenge this conclusion and dispute claims that exposure to TV violence leads to real-life aggression. As we move into the digital era with enhanced images and sound, media violence will undoubtedly continue to be a focus of public concern and scientific research. Prevalence of Violence on TV The National Television Violence Study is the largest content analysis undertaken to date. It analyzed programming over three consecutive TV seasons from 1994 to 1997.1 Among the findings: • Nearly 2 out of 3 TV programs contained some violence,2 averaging about 6 violent acts per hour.3 • Fewer than 5% of these programs featured an anti-violence theme or prosocial message emphasizing alternatives to or consequences of violence.4 • Violence was found to be more prevalent in children’s programming (69%) than in other types of programming (57%). In a typical hour of programming, children’s shows featured more than twice as many violent incidents (14) than other types of programming (6).5 • The average child who watches 2 hours of cartoons a day may see nearly 10,000 violent incidents each year, of which the researchers estimate that at least 500 pose a high risk for learning and imitating aggression and becoming desensitized to violence.6 • The number of prime-time programs with violence increased over the three years of the study, from 53% to 67% on broadcast television and from 54% to 64% on basic cable. Premium cable netThe Kaiser Family Foundation is an independent, national health philanthropy dedicated to