Pull the Plug on TV and Video Game Violence Week

Governor James B. Hunt Endorses Smart Choice Television Viewing for Children

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North Carolina Coalition for Pulling the Plug on Media Violence
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Governor Hunt will kick off a week long campaign to remind parents to make smart choices in television viewing. The Governor's kick-off will take place Monday, October 21st (1996) at 1 pm at the Governor's Mansion.

The week is sponsored by the North Carolina Coalition for Pulling the Plug on Media Violence. The Coalition is a grassroots non-profit organization made up of more than 35 child advocacy groups throughout the state. Its goal is to raise awareness about the negative impact of violence on TV and in video games.

The Coalition does not advocate or oppose specific programs. Instead, during the "Pull the Plug Week," the Coalition offers common-sense suggestions reviewing family use of television and video games. Flyers and bookmarks with those suggestions will be distributed to more than 800,000 K-5 public school students and their parents throughout the state.

Suggestions From The American Academy Of Pediatrics:

1. Set Limits: Be aware of how much television your children are watching. Then limit viewing to 1-2 hours each day. Take time together to talk about how violence and guns are glamorized on TV and in video games.
   
   
2. Plan: After limiting TV use, families can work together to choose appropriate programs. Pediatricians recommend using a TV guide or newspaper to help with selections. The set should be turned on only for quality programs and turned off then they're over.
   
   
3. Participate: Parents are the most important role models for their children. In our society, television is the second most important source of information. Watch shows together and review what video games the kids are playing. Let them know your feelings about violence on TV and seek their help in making a change in your family's TV and video game use.
   
   
4. Get Help: Many groups help raise awareness about the impact of violent programming on TV. Contact local PTA to find out about National PTA programs and pamphlets addressing television viewing.

The Effects of Violent Television Viewing

• 22-34% of young male felons imprisoned for committing violent crimes (homicide, rape, assault) report having consciously imitated crime techniques watched on TV. (Journal of American Medical Association - Studies in Violence and Television)
  
  
• All Canadian and US studies of the effect of prolonged childhood exposure to television show a positive relationship between earlier exposure to TV violence and later physical aggressiveness. (Public communication and behavior - Academic Press)
  
  
• The critical period of exposure to television is pre-adolescent childhood. (American Academy of Pediatrics)
  
  
• Investigators at four Universities randomly sampled 2,500 hours of fictional entertainment from 2,693 cable network programs over 20 weeks in 1994-1995. 57% of programs studied had harmful depiction of violence. (Mediascope study by Cable Industry)
  
  
• Studies conclude viewing certain programs of violence can increase aggression in children, make them more fearful and less trusting, and desensitize them to violent behavior by other people. (National TV Violence Study)

Although Media violence is not the only cause of violence in our state, it is the single most easily remediable contributing factor.

For further information on "Pull the Plug Week," contact the North Carolina Coalition for Pulling the Plug on Media Violence. Call (919)833-3836 or (800)722-1350, extension 108.

CONTACT: Dr. Kathleen Clarke-Pearson, The NC Coalition for Pulling the Plug on Media Violence, 919-833-3836, or 800-722-1350, ext. 108