Every day, Jamie's mom picks him up at 3:00 from his local elementary school. She drives ten minutes to their middle class home and helps Jamie take him schoolbooks inside. His mom puts a bag of popcorn in the microwave and tells Jamie to watch television until she gets off work. She kisses him on the cheek and locks the door on her way out. Jamie's mother has chosen a convenient babysitter to keep Jamie busy until she gets off work, but does she have any idea what he is watching or what effects it could have on him in the long run?
             Since television viewing has evolved into the most time consuming leisure activities of the American youth, there has been a growing concern on the issue of what effects television could be having on children. For the past 30 years, this topic has become one of much scientific inquiry (Rubenstein 15). Television has the power to influence a child's entire daily schedule. Unsupervised, a child could watch TV constantly. Thousands of studies have been examined to see what effects different types of content have on children. Although some studies have shown that television has the potential to yield profound positive effects, the main influence affecting children is negative (Williams 1).
             From the time children are born, they are exposed to television. The average 6-month old child is in front of a television set almost 1.5 hours per day. By the age of 3, these children will be purposeful viewers with favorite programs (Ableman 24). Studies have shown that preschool children in America spend more than a third of their waking hours watching television, or approximately 28 hours a week. Many children easily spend more time with the "box" than they do talking to parents, playing with peers, reading books, and even attending school (Tuchscherer 27).
             The bright colors, quick movement, and sudden flashes of television seem to constantly capture a child's attention....