Psychological research has shown three major effects of seeing violence on television:
-Children may become less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others
-Children may be more fearful of the world around them
-Children may be more likely to behave in aggressive or harmful ways toward others.
Real-Life Studies
Findings from the laboratory are further supported by field studies which have shown the long-range effects of televised violence. Leonard Eron and his associates at the University of Illinois, found that children who watched many hours of TV violence when they were in elementary school tended to also show a higher level of aggressive behavior when they became teenagers. By observing these youngsters until they were 30 years old, Dr. Eron found that the ones who'd watched a lot of TV when they were eight years old were more likely to be arrested and prosecuted for criminal acts as adults