Shock Value On TV: How does it Effect the Audience?

In the fifties an episode of "Father Knows Best" was not allowed by the censors to air because it had a scene where a toilet could be seen in the background. In the '99/2000 TV season an episode of Will and Grace" showed Grace taking pictures of a celebrity's toilet, one with the lid down, and one with it up. This is an example of the changing morals in today's television content. One reason morals …

…or promiscuous sex, and it's considered normal, why shouldn't the audience do it too? If any immoral act is shown regularly without any portrayal of the consequences, the audience may come to believe that there aren't any consequences. This may seem far-fetched, but think of all the children who have been injured attempting stunts they've seen on TV. No one likes to admit how much we learn from, and emulate what we see on TV.