FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION FACT SHEET April, 1995 Children's Television Programming The Children's Television Act of 1990 was enacted by Congress on October 18, 1990. One of the major goals of the Act was to increase the quantity of educational and informational broadcast television programming for children. Presently, this type of programming is defined by the FCC as "programming that furthers the positive development of children 16 years of age and under in any respect,including the child'sintellectual/cognitive or social/emotional needs." This definition makes no distinction between general audience/entertainment programs that serve children's educational and informational needs and programs that are specifically designed to educate and inform children. Current studies confirm that American children spend a significant amount of time watching television. Research data indicate that children, ages 2 to 17, watch on average over three hours of television per day. It is estimated that by the time most children reach age 18, they will have watched between 15,000 and 20,000 hours of television. A recent survey of 750 10 to 16 year-olds confirmed that television has a significant impact on children. More than two-thirds of the respondents said their contemporaries are influenced by what they see on television. In addition, 60 percent of the children surveyed indicated that television encourages negative values such as disrespect for parents and having sex at too young an age. Eighty-two percent surveyed concluded that television should teach right from wrong. Congress has concluded that television has the capability to benefit society and assist in educating and informing children. Studies show that television can effectively teach children specific skills, assisting in preparing children for formal schooling, as well as complement skills taught in the classroom. For example, programs such as "Sesame Street" and "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" have been shown to enhance attentiveness and perceptual abilities. In enacting the Children's Television Act, Congress also determined that market forces alone had not produced an adequate amount of children's educational and informational programming on commercial television and that government action was needed to increase the availability of such programming. In 1991, the Federal Communications Commission adopted regulations to implement the Children's Television Act. At present, the FCC is evaluating whether these regulations have achieved the goals Congress established in the Act. In addition, the FCC is seeking public comment on several proposals it has made to improve its rules. If you would like more information about the regulation of children's television programming, please contact the FCC. -- FCC -- Office of Public Affairs, Public Service Division, 1919 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20554 202-418-0200/TTY202-418-2555