Is television one of the major causes of violence in children?

This is a subject that scholars and critics have been debating for decades. There is some research that indicates TV violence can be a factor in how kids perceive the world: George Gerbner, a famous media researcher, came up with "Cultivation Theory," which says that the more violence kids watch, the more they come to see it as normal, and further, the more they start to think the world is a violent and dangerous place-- this is known as the "Mean World Syndrome."

People who want to blame TV violence for problems in society are probably overstating their case, however. While TV violence can certainly be ONE influence, it is not the only influence-- kids and young adults are also influenced by parents, peers, schools, religion, and other factors. That said, there is ample evidence that parents do need to monitor what their kids are watching, since kids are very impressionable and may think violence is entertaining unless someone explains to them that it is not.