This volume consists of 10 papers dealing with issues, research and research findings regarding the effects of television advertising on children. The first paper critically examines recent research literature which bears on policy questions related to the effects of television advertising on children. Findings from a study designed to examine children's defenses against the persuasive techniques of television commercials are reported in the second paper. The third paper centers on children's perceptions of the realism or lack of realism of televised fiction, and the fourth paper describes a study designed to determine whether the way researchers pose questions to children might provide more valid conclusions as to how well children understand the differences between television programs and television commercials. Results from a study undertaken to determine the extent to which young children can distinguish between television programs and commercials are discussed in the fifth paper. In the sixth paper, policy issues in the controversial area of television advertising are delineated and critically examined. The seventh paper summarizes the major theories of identification and imitation, critically evaluates the pertinent empirical research, and raises the question of the applicability of such research findings to the influence of television on children. Young television watchers' knowledge of nutrition, specifically with regard to awareness of the benefits and hazards of sweets in their diets, is assessed in the eighth paper, and a new approach to understanding young children's product choice strategies is suggested in the ninth paper. Finally, the tenth paper reviews research evidence from the United States and Australia on the general impact of television advertising on children. (Author/MP)