Madeline Levine

Psychologist Madeline Levine is the author of Viewing Violence: How Media Violence Affects Your Child’s and Adolescent’s Development, from which the following viewpoint is taken. Levine provides suggestions on how parents can minimize the harmful effects of media violence on their children. Parents should watch television with their children to learn about what they are watching, comment and interact with their children while watching programs together, and teach them that television viewing should be a directed and purposeful activity, Levine recommends. Despite the number of violent shows, she claims, there are also many positive and worthwhile television programs that parents can encourage their children to watch.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What social values do most people agree are important, according to Levine?
2. How does...