Television Viewing Habits and Aggressive Behaviour in Children Aged 6 to 10 in Owerri, Imo State

This study examines the relationship between television viewing habits and aggressive behaviour among children aged 6 to 10 years in Owerri, Imo State, South East Nigeria. The proliferation of satellite television channels, including those broadcasting violent cartoons and action content, has raised concern among child development specialists about the socialising influence of screen media on young children. Guided by Bandura's social learning theory, this research adopted a correlational survey design and recruited 290 parent-child pairs from selected primary schools in Owerri Municipal and Owerri North local government areas. Parents completed a Television Viewing Habit Checklist detailing viewing hours and content types, while children's aggressive behaviour was assessed using teacher-rated versions of the Children's Aggression Scale. Data were analysed using Pearson correlation and hierarchical multiple regression. Findings reveal a moderate positive relationship between exposure to violent television content and observable aggressive behaviour in children, after controlling for age, gender, and household income. Children spending more than three hours daily watching unsupervised television showed significantly higher aggression scores. Gender moderated the relationship, with boys exhibiting stronger effects than girls. The study recommends that parents implement structured viewing schedules and that schools incorporate media literacy education into the primary school curriculum in Imo State. Keywords: television viewing, aggressive behaviour, children, Imo State, social learning theory.