Parents Fail to Limit Exposure to TV Violence–Study

CHICAGO (Reuters) – Many parents try but fail to limit their children's exposure to violence on television and in video games, a study released on Tuesday showed.
In a survey at three health clinics in the Washington, D.C., area, nearly three–quarters of parents with young children admitted their children see "fighting, guns, and other violence on television" at least once a week despite their efforts, said the report published in the journal Pediatrics.

"Viewing of violence on television has been associated in many previous studies with aggressive behavior, and many child health professionals recommend limiting children's exposure to it. However, that is easier said than done," said pediatrician Tina Cheng of Johns Hopkins University.

Exposure to media violence often occurs outside the home.

In the survey of 677 parents or guardians, only a quarter said their youngest child did not watch television at all.

Among parents whose children were allowed to watch television, 45 percent said they usually watched with them. But parental monitoring decreased as the child grew older.

Cheng said parents should avoid putting a television in a child's bedroom and limit viewing.

In addition, health care providers could do a better job of advising parents about evidence that shows exposure to media violence can lead to aggressive and antisocial behavior.

In an unrelated study in the journal, 2,500 adolescents were surveyed about their movie–going and smoking habits.

It found an association between parental permissiveness in allowing children to see R–rated movies that might glamorize smoking and the odds of them trying cigarettes.

"More than four–fifths of movies, including many specifically meant for young audiences, contain smoking," which exerts a powerful influence on the young, said the researchers from Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.