OPINIONNew TV season, old problem: Entertainment violenceThe AMA is continuing its efforts to urge the entertainment industry to reform, and doctors can play an individual role by stressing the dangers to parents.Editorial. Oct. 11, 2004. The new fall television season is well under way. A quick look at TV Guide shows a prime-time lineup chock-full of violence, murder and mayhem. And that's just the programs. In between are slick advertisements promoting shows, movies and video games with blasting guns and other graphic imagery. These ads often even appear on daytime television. The continued stream of violence indicates that the entertainment industry hasn't gotten serious about doing better. The nation still has far to go in protecting children from the harmful effects of viewing this content. The fight against this problem isn't new. The American Medical Association first expressed concern about TV violence in 1952 -- just after television truly caught on in the years after World War II. In 1976, the Association adopted policies supporting research into the impact of this violence and recognizing that it is a risk factor threatening the health and welfare of young Americans. In the intervening years, the AMA has strengthened that policy and expanded it to other entertainment media -- movies, music, videos, computer games and print publications. It also has supported parental advisories aired by networks, TV and movie rating systems, "V-chip" technology and DVD-filtering devices -- all advancements that help parents control what their children watch. [...]Full text of American Medical News content is available to AMA members and paid subscribers.
Copyright 2004 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.
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