While television can be used as a form of entertainment and education, the effect it has on a child is a major focus - especially when it comes to violence.

According to a recent study, a child's risk of engaging in violent acts increases when they are exposed to violence on television. This study, published in the October issue of Pediatrics, surveyed 2,245 Ohio public school students ranging from age 7 to 15 during the 1995-1996 academic year.

The students surveyed lived in inner cities, small urban areas or rural areas. Mark Singer of Case Western Reserve University, and author of the study, found high rates of exposure to violence and violent behavior to children in all geographic areas.

Children with less parental monitoring reported greater levels of violent behavior, and boys also reported higher rates of violence toward others.

Because violence in the media has been a popular topic, the number of children's programs to combat it increased this year, according to the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania annual survey on children and television.

"The good news is that children's television is getting better. But it's clear there is still room for improvement," Researcher Emory H. Woodard IV said.

But 28 percent of children's shows contained four or more acts of violence, which caused exposure to violent acts even though the shows are made for children. And 75 percent of the high-violence programs did not carry the fantasy violence content rating required for children's programming.

Although more homes now have computers, the Internet and video games, television continues to be a big part of a child's life.

Parents report 48.2 percent of their children have televisions in their bedrooms and on average, spend 3.25 hours a day watching television programs or videos, according to the survey.

"Although television is still dominant with the introduction of new media, young people are now spending an average of four and a half hours every day sitting in front of a screen of some kind," APPC Washington Director Jeffrey D. Stanger said.

But even with improvements in children's television, only 13.6 percent of parents and 24.5 percent of 10-year-olds to 17-year-olds have a positive opinion of children's programming.

While some experts believe there is a direct link between juvenile violence and television, others disagree.

"Learning violence is a complex process," said Christine Mattley, Ohio University associate professor of sociology and anthropology. "Kids have a lot of different influences and forces."

There are people on both sides of the issue and the influence television has on violence continues to be debated, she said.

Federal Hocking Middle School student teacher Noel Owens agrees with Mattley and said many different things can cause violence in children. She teaches seventh grade students who have learning disabilities, and finds that television does not directly affect their levels of violence.

"In a rural community like this one, students don't spend a lot of time indoors watching television," she said. "But in urban areas and cities, the media as a whole might directly affect levels of violence because of the access children have to it."