ABSTRACT
Since the introduction of television into the United States in the early 1950s, three basic social policy questions have emerged regarding children. First, how much time should be devoted during the broadcast day (or week) to programming exclusively designed for children. Second, should the program content of television directed to children be regulated because of potentially undesirable effects of violent portrayals. And third, should the advertising content of television directed to children be regulated because of undesirable health effects. This chapter considers each of these three issues. In all of the issues, the children of the nation are the objects of policy, and the television industry in the form of the major networks and the companies that advertise on them are the subjects of regulation. Both the industry self-regulating codes and government regulations specify the amount of advertising directed to children, in terms of the acceptable number of minutes per hour that are allowed.
