Studies have shown that there has been an increase in the number of television viewers especially among children, adolescents and young adults. This has been attributed to the fact that programmers in this modern era have strived to deliver what they think this group of people would be inclined to see. According to Paquette, Gosselin, and DeGuise (1997), most cartoons are classified as those that lead to violence. This is because most of these cartoons contain the highest percentage of violent scenes, mostly designed for kids. George Gerbner created several effects of heavy and light television viewing. There are other effects beyond those identified by Gerbner and they will be the topic of discussion in this essay. Trend in violence The number of cases that continue to be reported on violence is alarming. In Canada, due to the increase in the number of reported cases involving violent acts by people especially in urban areas, a law has been formulated to help media houses reschedule their programming to try to reduce cases (Paquette, Gosselin and DeGuise, 1997). It has been noted that this has been caused by an increase in the amount of content coming from America, which is believed to be a leader in violent television programming (Paquette, Gosselin, & DeGuise, 1997). This trend can be seen as there is an increase in aggressive behaviors such as hitting, pulling hair and clothes, and kicking, among others (Wagner, 2004). Approval of ViolenceIt is not very clear why society is turning to approval of violent behavior, but it is happening (Paquette, Gosselin, & DeGuise, 1997). In the works of Heath and Petriatis (1987), it is noted that society has slowly developed a ...... middle of paper ... and a tendency towards violence that has not been addressed. Light and heavy television viewing of violence-oriented programs has negative effects. People have started to apply what they see on television into real life and the consequences are really evident. Works Cited Wagner, C. G. (2004). Aggressive and violent media. The Futurist, 38(4), 16. Retrieved June 4, 2011 from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 653010121).Heath, H., & Petriatis, J. (1987). Television opinions and fear of crime: where is the mean world? Basic and applied social psychology 8(1&2), 97-123. Retrieved June 4, 2011, from Academic Search Premier.Paquette, G., Gosselin, A., & DeGuise, J. (1997). Violence on Canadian television and some of its cognitive effects. Canadian Journal of Communication, 22(2), 143. Retrieved June 4, 2011, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 393953081).