“Watching television is a major activity and influence on children and adolescents. In the United States, children watch an average of three to four hours of television per day. By the time they graduate, they will have spent more time watching TV than in class. Although television can entertain, inform and keep our children company, it can also influence them in undesirable ways. (AACAP, 2001, p. 1) Although parents are aware that the media can affect their children, almost all do not realize how serious it becomes. Although television has grown and is now one of our most valuable means of communication, it also has horrible consequences: it can negatively affect and corrupt people. This will examine both sides of this problem, focusing on the effects of a particular mass medium, television, on a particular group in society, children. It will also look at studies that attempt to show both positive and negative effects on children. This website will also illustrate the need for parents to be there for their children and for teachers to play a central role in helping children separate fact from fiction on television. Television is by far the most popular and powerful medium in which children are exposed. One could probably argue that television has more influence on children than parents, but it is not necessary that television has negative effects on children. Many programs have positive themes behind them. A study by Aletha C. Huston and John C. Wright (1998) examined studies describing television as having negative effects on children and proved that most of these studies were flawed. A study that is often brought......middle of paper......gers. Journal of Mass Media Ethics, 11(1), 28-39. Huston, A.C. (1998). Television and the informational and educational needs of children. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 557, 9-23. Kent, D. and Moy, S. (1999). How much is too much? Parenting, 13, 1-3.Nathanson, AI (1999). Identify and explain the relationship between parental mediation and child aggression. Communication Research, 26(2), 124-143. Scully, S. (1993, August). V Blocker is Easy Chip Shot Away. Broadcasting and Cable, 46. Steinberg, S.R., & Kincheloe, J.L. (1997). Maternal culture. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. Strasburger, V.C. and Donnerstein, E. (1999). Children, adolescents and media: issues and solutions. American Academy of Pediatrics, 103, 1-15. Zuckerman, M.B. (August 1996). Victims of television violence. US News and World Report, 64.