... range for children that will be discussed in this essay is from nine to fourteen years old. Firstly the "level of social and cultural poison is higher today than in the past", says Garbarino (1999,129). Drive-by fistfights rarely resulted in deaths; but today's drive-by shootings usually do. Kids are bombarded with warnings about lethal consequences of sex, kidnapping, weapons at school and the high probability of divorce. Adults are less available to nurture their children; fathers too often disappear from their children's lives after separation and divorce. According to Garbarino, the lack of adult supervision and time spent doing constructive, cooperative activities are important toxic aspects and compound the effects of other negative influences in the social environment. These and other factors contribute to the documented increases in negative feelings such as apathy, sadness, other forms of emotional distress and behaviour problems among the young. Television has been a major influence ...

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