Violence, television and the health of American youth.

In 1973, 18,032 young Americans, 15 to 24 years of age, died in motor-vehicle accidents, 5182 were murdered, and 4098 committed suicide. The death rate, for this age group, was 19 per cent higher in 1973-74 than it had been in 1960-61, owing entirely to deaths by violence. The largest rise in deaths from homicide during the past two decades was at the ages of one to four. For a considerable proportion of American children and youth, the "culture of violence" is now both a major health threat and a way of life. One contributing factor is television's massive daily diet of symbolic crime and violence in "entertainment" programs. After numerous studies of televsion influence on real-life violence, including two major government commissions, the industry is experimenting with a 7 to 9 p.m. "Family Hour" (6 to 8 p.m. Central Time) from which violence, along with sex, has been largely banished. Three industry unions claim censorship and are suing. The medical profession is urged to concern itself with this serious and complex health hazard.