Do Popular TV Shows Teach Kids?
By Brigitte Schell

This is an opinion piece by one of the original Main Street Journal journalists. The shows she's writing about are from the 1990s and are now in re-runs.

Family Matters is a family show. It teaches kids about lots of things. We kids watch TV for fun, but sometimes we learn things too. On Family Matters recently there was a show about guns where Laura, an actress on Family Matters had a new coat. A girl wanted the coat so she took out a gun. The girl grabbed the coat and ran.

Steve Urkel, another actor tried to protect her but nobody came. Laura's friend had a gun for protection because she had new shoes. Laura was thinking of buying a gun when she heard yelling and a noise that made people run. Laura's friend got shot in the arm. This TV show teaches kids about how you don't need a gun to protect yourself. Just give up whatever they want and walk away. You can protect yourself that way.

Another show is 7th Heaven. It was about alcohol. It was Thanksgiving and the grandmother had come to visit. She had a drinking problem though. She got the key to the wine cabinet. Her grandson took it for fun. She wanted wine so bad that she choked her grandson just for the key. Then the mother told the grandmother to get out. This TV show teaches kids that alcohol is bad and it doesn't help you. TV can teach kids a lot of things. The end is this, TV can teach kids.

The following is a survey that I took at school and at home. Family Matters is by far the most popular show for kids.