Chiori Santiago

Some individuals and organizations have reacted to the problem of television violence by encouraging families to quit watching television altogether. A Washington, D.C.–based organization called TV-Free America, for example, sponsors an annual National TV-Turn-Off Week, during which parents and children in participating schools and communities are urged to abstain from watching television and to pursue alternative activities. In the following viewpoint, Chiori Santiago expresses her support for this idea even as she admits that such a step would be difficult for her. She cites concerns about the negative effects that television and its constant references to violence have on children. Breaking the TV-viewing habit, she contends, can help families grow closer. Santiago is a writer who contributes regularly to the “Family Matters” column of Diablo, a monthly magazine...