In the midst of a growing national debate about the role of television as a de facto "sex educator" for young people today, this survey asked parents nationwide in the fall of 1996 about their views on kids and television. A random sample of 853 parents and children ages 6 to 15 were surveyed by telephone (the data reported here focus on a subsample of 421 parents with children ages 8 to 12). Parents were asked about how well they are able to monitor their children's television viewing; the amount of sexual content on television, particularly during programming in the early evening; and the influence they think television is having, if any, on their children. Results showed that 43 percent worry a "great deal" about the amount of sexual content their children are exposed to, and 28 percent are at least "somewhat" concerned. One out of five say they have seen an effect on how their child talks, acts, or dresses. Parents are divided over how well they think TV presents sexual issues, with 30 percent thinking sexual content is generally presented in an "informative or socially responsible way" and another 31 percent saying this is "hardly ever" or never the case. More than two-thirds say they are able to watch TV with their child at most only half the time; 85 percent have rules about which shows their child can watch. Nearly half say their child has at some point asked a question about sex, AIDS, or some other issue because of something they saw on TV. Finally, three-quarters agree with the concept of the family hour, and 72 percent say there are not enough shows on television appropriate for their child. (Presents each survey question and its results.) (EV)