Today one of the main research interests of behavioral psychologists and sociologists concerns an integral part of the routine and life of the American family. Something that has become so ingrained in homes that it would be rare to find one without it. Research has shown a hidden danger lurking in our homes, and the source may surprise you. Television has been around since the early 1950s, but behaviorists have only recently begun to study the effects these machines can have on children, social interaction and families. Research has begun to show the negative consequences of television on children's development and socialization, demonstrating that it reduces and influences social interaction. Television, the dancing pixels behind a glass screen that have enchanted many young people since its mainstream diffusion in the 1950s, has evolved into an entity of its own. Most homes have at least one television; many have two or more. In fact, 98.2% of all homes in the United States have televisions, and most people own 2.4 of them (Tischler 2007). How has this affected family life, social interaction and even self-image? Researchers have begun working to answer these questions and have produced some surprising results. Statistically, people today have become more isolated from the world by reducing their interactions with real-life relationships. Social disengagement is increasing with fewer people voting, attending church, volunteering, and gathering less (Kraut 1998, Tischler 2007). Social disengagement has negative consequences for both societies and individuals, with individuals' health and quality of life suffering, and crime rates, political involvement, and civic life being negatively affected in societies (Kraut 1998). The Internet also plays a role... the focus of the paper......w.cs.cmu.edu/~kraut/RKraut.site.files/articles/kraut98-InternetParadox.pdfTischler, HL (2007). Socialization and development. Introduction to Sociology (9th ed., pp. 99-101). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.Ward, L.M. (February 2002). Does television exposure influence adults' emerging attitudes and assumptions about sexual relationships? Correlational and experimental confirmation. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, Vol. 31, no. 1, February 2002, pp. 1-15 (2002). Retrieved June 11, 2011, from http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/45292/1/10964_2004_Article_364602.pdfShrum, L. J., Wyer Jr., R. S., & O'Guinn, T. C. (1998). The effects of television consumption on social perceptions: The use of priming procedures to investigate psychological processes. Journal of Consumer Research, 24(4), 447-458. Retrieved June 11, 2011, from the JSTOR database.