Protecting Children from Exposure to Media ViolenceChildren and adolescents in the United States are exposed to violence in increasing numbers every year year. This may seem obvious, but consider the following: The average child watches television 21 to 23 hours per week. This means that by the time that child reaches 70, they will have spent 7 to 10 years watching television. And since Saturday morning children's television features approximately 20 to 25 acts of violence per hour, it is no wonder that the average person has seen approximately 200,000 acts of violence before reaching the age of 18. And while tragedies like Columbine cannot be explained simply by blaming media violence, this currently appears to be one of the most easily correctable contributing factors. The entertainment industry has maintained a position that there is no connection between media and real-life violence. And yet, hundreds of scientific studies have concluded that not only is there a direct link, but that children repeatedly exposed to this type of violence lose the ability to distinguish between real violence and entertainment violence. and tend to accept violence as an acceptable phenomenon. way to solve even complex problems. The solution to this problem is a bit complex due to the multiple parties involved. Health care providers must inform their patients and the public about the real effects of these media messages. The entertainment industry should ...