This article examines the evolution of children's television policy in the United States, analysing the forces that have shaped and influenced the nature of regulation in this area. For many years, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) functioned as an obstacle to any formal regulation of children's television. The FCC's stance, however, was overcome by the Congress when it enacted the Children's Television Act of 1990, a landmark statute that established an educational programming obligation for broadcasters and restricted advertising to child audiences. Since that law was adopted, controversy has ensued about the legitimacy of stations' efforts to fulfil their children's programming obligation. The FCC responded by strengthening its rules implementing the Children's Television Act, and recent studies suggest that, for the first time, regulation is reaping rewards in terms of improving both the quality and quantity of television for children in the United States.
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