A human ecological approach to the study of children's television viewing raises questions that researchers have largely neglected. Does television influence the interaction patterns of socializing agents with children and with one another? Are there long-term, psychological consequences of unintegrated and competing influences from television and the environment? To what extent do emotional impressions, provoked through media, tend to be autonomous and disconnected from the child's overall comprehension? Does television viewing reduce the child's inclination to play and limit first-hand experiences? The perspective of human ecology suggests that the impact of media on children is likely to be more intense than it is on adults. Accordingly, preschool television programs should be designed to promote children's personal stability, not to attract large numbers of viewers or further specific aims of educational policy. Early childhood educators and parents should guarantee: (1) that small children watch far less TV than adults; and (2) that children are not left to face all media options without guidance or to cope with raw impressions unassisted. The tendency of preschool programs to focus on improving the child's ability to cope with an increasingly complex environment should be replaced by programs that are strongly child centered, care for children as individuals, pay attention to marginal transformations of their development, use a comprehensive approach, and above all attempt to support personal stability and open-mindedness of children. (Author/RH)