Janet Jackson's nipple isn't the only shock young eyes might be exposed to during a sporting event. In the December issue of Pediatrics, researchers report on the violence in commercials.

What the researchers wanted to know: How common are violence and other unsafe behavior in commercials shown during the highest-rated sports events?

What they did: The researchers watched the 1,185 commercials shown during the 50 sports programs that got the highest Nielsen ratings between Sept. 1, 2001, and Sept. 1, 2002. They added the Masters Golf Championship and the Daytona 500 for sport diversity, and included only one event for the Winter Olympics, the World Series, and other events that appeared several times in the ratings. Violence encompassed threats like pointing a gun at someone's head without firing; unsafe behavior covered things like not wearing a seat belt or crossing a street without looking.

What they found: Fourteen percent of the commercials showed unsafe behavior, and 6 percent showed violence. Nearly half of Super Bowl commercials showed either unsafe behavior or violence. At the opposite end of the spectrum, the Masters had three commercials (actually just one that showed three times) with a kid in the distance riding a bike without a helmet and no violence.

What the study means to you: According to one survey, 86 percent of children watch sports on TV. The researchers say parents should pay attention not only to the programming but also to whatever's on during the bathroom breaks.

Caveats: The researchers didn't look at other commercials that might worry parents, like ads showing how fun it is to get drunk with your friends.

Find out more: Advice on teaching your kids good TV habits

Read the article: Tamburro, R.F., et al. "Unsafe and Violent Behavior in Commercials Aired During Televised Major Sporting Events." Pediatrics. December 2004, Vol. 114, No. 6, pp. e694-e698.

Abstract online: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org