A Federal Communications Commission (FCC) report released last week suggests Congress has the power to control violent programming on TV, especially during hours when kids are watching.
Dan Isett, director of Corporate and Government Affairs for the Parents Television Council, said the report makes the link between what's on TV and what happens in real life.
"Essentially, it chronicles the problem of television violence," he told Family News in Focus. "It affirms the causal relationship between exposure to violence and children and the acting out of those children."
The FCC also recommended that Congress allow families to choose what channels come into their homes.
"The Congress could constitutionally pass some sort of regulation on violent content on the public airwaves during certain times of the day, much like they do with televised indecency," Isett explained. "The other very critical recommendation is cable channels being made available individually."
Bob Peters, president of Morality in Media, said "a la carte" programming is a no-brainer.
"But a la carte standing alone is not going to protect kids from media violence," he said. "It's part of the answer, but it's not the whole answer."
