The text is intended particularly for students, parents, professionals concerned with children's welfare, and decisionmakers in the broadcasting industry or in public office. The analysis focuses on whether television violence instigates aggressive or antisocial behavior or causes children to accept such behavior. It also explores whether television portrayals of minorities and women cultivate social attitudes and stereotypes, whether television commercials take unfair advantage of children, and whether commercial broadcast television fulfills its responsibility to serve the public interest. The analysis concludes that children learn from watching television and that what they learn depends on what they watch. Photographs, drawings, tables, figures, subject index, author index, appended background materials, and 467 references.