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TRENTON – Legislation sponsored by Senator Raymond Lesniak and Senator M. Teresa Ruiz to help parents limit their children’s exposure to violence in the media was approved by the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee on Thursday as part of the comprehensive gun safety plan. The proposal would have the Department of Education develop an informative pamphlet for schools to distribute to the parents of all their students.

“Multiple scientific studies have informed us that each child in America is exposed to an average of 200,000 acts of violence on TV alone before they reach the age of 18 and common sense tells us it isn’t good for them to be inundated with so much violence from so many sources,” said Senator Lesniak. “Of course, the proliferation of video games and other electronic devices has multiplied their exposure. This can desensitize young people to violence and have a negative impact on their mental and psychological development.”

TRENTON – Senator Raymond Lesniak (D-Union) and Senator M. Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex) have introduced a legislative initiative to help parents limit their children’s exposure to violence in the media, helping them counter the pervasive depictions of violent behavior from TV, movies, video games, the Internet and even via cell phones. The proposal would have the Department of Education develop an informative pamphlet for schools to distribute to the parents of all their students.

“A study by the American Academy of Pediatrics found that each child in America is exposed to an average of 200,000 acts of violence on TV alone before they reach the age of 18,” said Senator Lesniak. ‘The proliferation of video games and other forms of media has multiplied this exposure. This can de-sensitize young people to violence and have a negative impact on their mental and psychological development.”