Examines the effects of television on children and on family life and suggests methods by which parents can successfully control television viewing.

Since the 1960s a radical change has occurred in the way American society treats children and in the behavior of children themselves. In this provocative examination of childhood today, Marie Winn argues that adults have abandoned their traditional role of protectors of childhood innocence and, moreover, have encouraged early involvement in adult concerns. The disintegration of family life (due in part of divorce and to the return of women to the work force); the emphasis on sex in boos, films, and on television; and society's casual acceptance of "recreational" drugs have all contributed to the emergence of a generation of cynical, prematurely "sophisticated" children. -- Cover, page [4]