What can parents do about it? Parents have a number of remedies at their disposal and they include:
1. Parents have the power to moderate their children's TV viewing. Parents are entitled to parent and that includes checking in every once and a while to monitor what their children are actually watching on TV.2. Parents can and should establish house rules for TV viewing. This means how many hours a week, where TV is to be watched, as well as what kind of programming.
3. Parents should supervise their children's TV viewing by watching at least one episode of whatever their children's selections are so that the parents decide if the programming is appropriate.
4. Parents should monitor news programs. Repetitive violence in the news is very disturbing to a young mind. Such violent overload can be directly linked to changes in the brain similar to that seen in abuse. In fact, these changes can actually be viewed on an MRI.
5. Parents should view current events on television with their children so that they can explain any confusing or inappropriate material to their children.
6. Just say "no" to offensive programming. That is what it is to be a parent.
7. Encourage your children to spend their free time in ways other then TV watching, such as reading a good book during the week and watching TV only on the weekends; outdoor sports; arts and crafts; journal writing and playdates with peers can alter, and even break, the hypnotic TV habit.
8. Boundaries are important to you and your children. Set them by creating new models for family time that are interactive rather than passive.
9. Show your children the inspirational part of TV, such as the Discovery Channel, the History Channel, Biography, and Nova.
10. Finally, parents must be what they want to see. Modeling is an essential part of parenting, and since we know that violence on TV negatively affects adults as well, lead your family to healthier viewing and happier living together.
