The United States is facing an epidemic of severely violent crime in middle and high schools across the country. At least fifty people have died in a series of high school shootings. These shootings occurred across the United States in 13 cities ranging from Pennsylvania to southern Mississippi and western California. Just when the rampage of murders seems to subside, another tragedy occurs. Preventive measures have been taken by the government and school systems. For example, in 1994, Congress passed the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act, which provides support for drug and violence prevention programs. However, these programs have not been effective in taming the ferocity of the children who participated in these shootings. Therefore, parents, school officials and the government continue to wonder what is causing this horrific violence and how they can solve the problem. A widely accepted cause of murders committed by children is violence in the media. The parents of three students killed at a high school in Padukah, Kentucky, have filed a $130 million lawsuit against the entertainment industry because they believe violence in the media inspired the boy, Michael Carneal, who killed their children ("Media"). To some extent, these parents are right in their assumption. On average, children watch television 16 to 17 hours a week, starting from the age of 2 (Strasbourg 129). Additionally, with the addition of video games, some adolescents can spend 35 to 55 hours per week in front of the television (Straburger 129). In these many hours of television viewing, many violent scenes occur. The National Television Viole...... middle of paper ......r: American Description." Online. http://www.mental Health.com/disl/p21-an06.html. 19 April 1999. Loos Mary. "Differential Effects Associated with Self-Reported History of Abuse and Neglect in a College Sample." Journal of Interpersonal Violence 12 (1997): 340-60 Singer, Mark "Viewing Preferences, Symptoms of Psychological Trauma, and Violent Behaviors Among Children Watching Television." Journal Of American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 37 (1998): 1041-8. Strasburger, Victor. "Children, Adolescents, and the Media: Problems and Solutions." Pediatrics 103 (1999): 129 -55 .Styron, Thomas. “Attachment and Abuse in Childhood: Long-Term Effects on Adult Attachment, Depression, and Conflict Resolution.” 6 (1997): 433-42.