Long periods of TV exposure to violence can create aggressive behavior in children. In many cases children of different ages are exposed to TV programs that aren’t suitable for their age groups. Many of these programs contain high volume of violence and children are exposed to them for an excessive amount of time without parental supervision. This can be a factor in building a hostile behavior in a child.

Not all TV programming is intended for all audiences. More children are watching programs that are not intended for their ages. There is an excess of violence, sex, and adult topics in TV programs. Children are more exposed to these topics with a click of a remote control device. It is very easy for a child to watch these types of programs because they are easily available at different hours of the day. A parent may think that during the early hours of the day television programs may be directed toward children but this may not always be the case. Ratings have been implemented in order for parents to keep control of the television programs their children watch.

Programs are identified by ratings issued by The National Association of Broadcasters, the National Cable Television Association, and the Motion Picture Association of America. These ratings are known as “TV Parental Guidelines.” These ratings can identify violent programming. They appear within the first 15 minutes of a TV program except for news, sports, and some cable channels. The Federal Communications Commission (2009) states “The ratings are as follows:

• TV-Y – Directed for children within the ages of two to six
• TV-Y7 – Directed for children of seven years of age and older
• TV-Y7-FV – Directed for the same age group as the previous rating but with the difference that it may contain fantasy violence.
• TV-G – Suitable for all ages but not necessarily a children’s show.
• TV-PG – Parental guidance is suggested and may not be suitable for young children.
• TV-14 – Suggests that the show may not be suitable for children under the age of 14.
• TV-MA – Directed specifically for adult viewing and children under the age of 17 are recommended not to view this program.”

Programs like Sesame Street are rated TV-Y and are directed to an audience from the ages of two to six years of age. This program in particular teaches learning skills to children while it entertains in an appropriate manner. When parents let their children watch programs with this rating, they can feel secure that their children will not be exposed to any violent, sexual or adult topics.

Children watch TV programs for a large period of time. The Keiser Family Foundation (2006) stated “More than four in ten (43%) children under 2 years old watch TV every day and nearly one in five (18%) watch videos or DVDs every day.” What this tells us is that most of these children don’t incur in any outside activities and their main source of entertainment comes from television and video games. Children under the age of 2 watch television on a daily basis. This is a very early start for children to get accustomed to a television set.

The following table represents the amount of hours children spend watching television, playing video games and using computers. (Amy B. Jordan, PhDa, James C. Hersey, PhDb, Judith A. McDivitt, PhDc & Carrie D. Heitzler, MPHc , 2006). Children between the