The rates of overweight in infancy and childhood are rapidly growing. One contributor to the rising tide of childhood obesity, and a target included in many obesity prevention and intervention programs, is television (TV) use. This article examines the amount of media to which young children are exposed, and considers the evidence for the relationship between media exposure and the development of overweight in young children. The authors discuss the potential mechanisms by which TV viewing may contribute to obesity risk, and challenge some common notions.