Studies have shown that there has been an increase in the amount of television viewing, particularly among children, adolescents and young adults. This has been attributed to the fact that programmers in this modern era have gravitated towards what they think this group of people would be inclined to see. According to Paquette, Gosselin and DeGuise (1997), most cartoons are classified among the most violent. This is because most of these cartoons contain the highest percentage of violent scenes, primarily designed for boys. George Gerbner proposed several effects of heavy and light television viewing. There are other effects beyond those identified by Gerbner and they will be discussed in this essay. Trend of violence The number of cases of violence that continue to be reported is alarming. In Canada, due to the increase in the number of reported cases involving acts of violence committed by people, particularly in urban areas, a law was formulated to help media outlets reschedule their programming in an attempt to reduce cases ( Paquette, Gosselin and DeGuise, 1997). This has been noted to be due to an increase in the amount of content from America recorded as being at the forefront of violent television programming (Paquette, Gosselin, & DeGuise, 1997). This trend can be observed as there is an increase in aggressive behaviors such as hitting, pulling hair and clothes, and kicking, among others (Wagner, 2004). Approval of Violence It's not clear why society turns to approving violent behavior, but it happens. (Paquette, Gosselin and DeGuise, 1997). In the work of Heath and Petriatis (1987), it is noted that society slowly developed a middle of paper and a tendency toward violence that was not addressed. Light or heavy viewing of violent television programs has harmful effects. People have started to apply what they see on television into real life and the consequences are really obvious. Works Cited Wagner, CG (2004). Aggressive and violent media. The Futurist, 38(4), 16. Retrieved June 4, 2011 from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 653010121). Heath, H. and Petriatis, J. (1987). Television views and fear of crime: where is the evil world? Basic and Applied Social Psychology 8(1&2), 97-123. Retrieved June 4, 2011 from Academic Search Premier. Paquette, G., Gosselin, A. and DeGuise, J. (1997). Violence on Canadian television and some of its cognitive effects. Canadian Journal of Communication, 22(2), 143. Retrieved June 4, 2011 from ABI/INFORM Global. (document ID: 393953081).