NurseWeek

Violent commercials mar ‘family’ programs

By Pamela Wiley
Health24News
October 14, 2000


	You've read the article. Now tell us what you think. Related sites National Television Violence Study Editions American Academy of Pediatrics American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry ParenthoodWeb

Washington (H24N). The dazzling array of guns, knives, bloodied bodies, and explosions plastered across television screens can make one’s living room sound like World War III. America’s children are on the frontline daily.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently investigated the amount of violent content contained in commercials aired during what is considered family programming. During the 1998 Major League Baseball World Series and National League Championships researchers evaluated advertisements for their violent content: threats, acts and consequential punishments. The study reports an alarming frequency of graphic interludes.

The National Television Violence Study has defined violence as any overt depiction of physical force or threat intended to cause physical harm. Under this definition the study cited 137 commercials during the two sports events as violent. Advertisements promoting sports and the pro-wrestling were not included in the count.

According to the study by Charles R. Anderson, MD, out of those 137 commercials, 63 contained fire and explosions, 86 contained weapons, 10 contained blood, and there was one instance of knife play.

When America’s children spend approximately three to four hours a day in front of the tube, the prevalence of violent commercials frustrates parents trying to shield them from such explosive material.

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry believes that television, sometimes a surrogate babysitter, has the ability to shape a child’s behavior and value system. The academy suggests that children who are constantly exposed to dreadful images may become immune to violence. They may even begin to identify or imitate popular characters becoming more aggressive and less thoughtful. Such behavior may be apparent in children immediately or it may surface periodically throughout adolescence.

During the baseball championships, out of the 97 commercials aired on the Fox network, 73 were promotions for the adult-orientated "X-Files" and "Brimstone." NBC broadcast 32 promotional spots for its crime-driven dramas, "The Profiler" and "The Pretender."

The television industry claims advertisers are responsible for the commercials they create. However, two-thirds of the attention-grabbing commercials were television program promotions.

The ParenthoodWeb has published several preventative steps that parents can take to protect children from the barrage of graphic images. Parents should try to watch television with their children and protest against specific commercials. Communication is also a very important key in helping youngsters understand the line between reality and the fantastic imagery presented on television.

The study, "Television Commercial Violence During Nonviolent Programming: The 1998 Major League Baseball Playoffs," was published in the October issue of AAP’s Pediatrics journal.