As a single mother of two girls, I have always been very cautious about what my daughters were allowed to watch on television.

Over the past 10-15 years, Television has drastically changed in many ways.

For example, swearing, blood, gore and especially the sexually explicit scenes were unthinkable. I can actually recall a time when parents did not worry about ratings of programming. Violence, graphics and nudity merely obsolete.

At that time, the most I would concern myself with was if the was movie rated R or PG-13, unlike what is currently available in the media today. Television and media today does not use any discretion when it comes to what our children absorb and what they are able to view.

The term freedom of speech has taken on a whole new meaning, media consumption by our youth and small children is very significant.

Our children are very impressionable at their young ages, and parents need to be more aware of what children are able to review at all times.

As a child growing-up, I was not allowed to watch certain programs on television. Certain music that included sexual lyrics was definitely reserved for grownups, unless by some chance it was being played at a wedding or some other special event.

Many parents today are completely unaware of the potential danger in allowing children to make these decisions on their own, not realizing that the decisions that they make today; will impact them greatly as they grow into adulthood.

It is unfortunate that the violence across the nation has increased significantly over the past decade. When I talk to many children in today’s society, most of them agree that television or some high tech device is their number one activity after school.

Many children are into the video games, cellular devices as well as the internet. These devices have taken our children out off the streets, and placed them into their bedrooms or somewhere in the house that is isolated from others. No longer making friends the old fashion way, everyone is meeting via the world wide web or something similar.

With the increase in violence and nudity being displayed on these gadgets, it definitely makes me question if parents are even aware of the content. Yet, parents are buying their children these devices which they themselves have never given a second thought to viewing the material before allowing their child access.

As a parent, I sometimes ask myself just how serious is the influence or better yet the impact that the media is playing on the moral and ethical judgment of our society? If our children are our future, then we must take it upon ourselves to find a solution.