Does Violence Affect Children?

A study published in Psychology of Popular Media Culture is proof of this theory. In this study, it is stated that 90% of pediatricians, 67% of parents, and 66% of researchers agreed that violent video games can increase child aggression. In addition to this study, a statement by six leading national medical associations, including the American Medical Association and American Psychological Association, stated, “Well over 1,000 studies - including reports from the Surgeon General's office, the National Institute of Mental Health, and numerous studies conducted by leading figures within our medical and public health organizations - our own members - point overwhelmingly to a causal connection between media violence and aggressive behavior in some

Media violence’s history began in the 1950s when television became a mainstream media; TV networks sought a simple successful formula to increase their revenues. In present day “an average of 150 acts of violence and about 15 murders entertain us and our children every week, and that does not count cartoons and news” (Gerber, G. 1996). The average American child has viewed at least 40,000 murders and 200,000 violent acts, according to the research of TV-Turnoff Network research. The excess of violence on TV and the video game industry accompanied by the absence of parental love and involvement creates a dissident reality that can only increase the level of aggressiveness in children.

Hi Ju Young, I like this because it really did inform me about how violent media does have an effect on young children. For example, you found how violent video games can make children become violent, “‘the violent scripts observed in many violent video games to carry a weapon. This behavior also would be consistent with the schemas taught by the games that the world is a hostile place, and the beliefs promoted by the games that aggression is normative’ (Ybarra). Consistently, little children tend to mimic what they see on media such as TV shows, movies, and video games. Therefore, the likelihood of aggressive and the violent behavior increase from different term contexts. Importantly, early exposure to violent media in childhood leads to

A child who was exposed or, experienced violence suffers multiply negative physical and mental health outcomes. Violence is especially distressing for smaller children, because they spend more time with their parents. Since, smaller children rely more on their parents to protect them and make their environment safe. Violence at home creates a stressful environment and also health problems that carries on into their adulthood. Exposure to violence at home may teach a child to learn to be more aggressive, fight and have antisocial behavior. Children who are exposed to violence at home have lower levels of self-esteem and social skills. “Research shows that the exposure to family violence during the early years when the capacity for emotion regulation is growing and children attachment to parents is strongest. It is important for children to feel wanted and can trust parents. If the trust is broken it’s disrupt child’s attachment and brain development. The plasticity of a child’s brain development have both negative and positive outcome. Positive in which a child is open to learn new things, but is also negative because the earliest stage is “vulnerable to development problems should their environment prove especially impoverished or un-nurturing.” Even though a child is exposed to traumatic events, they can be help by confronting.

Most experts contend that violent television shows, video games, and toys promote aggression and destructive behavior. Rhodes (2000) states, “The American Medical Association, American Psychological Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the National Institutes of Mental Health say that there is a link between entertainment and violence. In fact, no direct, causal link between exposure to mock violence in the media and subsequent violent behavior has ever been demonstrated…” (p. 555). While violence in entertainment is pervasive and a real concern; it needs to be understood and addressed rather than blamed as the cause. After all, it is possible seek solutions to minimize violence when you understand the nature of

Unfortunately, rather than question the louche portrayal of their surrounding environment or attempt to reform the society media depicts, most teenagers grow accustomed to the violence on their screens, becoming less sensitive to the suffering and pain of others and growing more aggressive in their interpersonal lives. This form of desensitization affects the teenage brain in that it results in a severe decrease of empathy and increase to tolerance to violent actions, real or fake. Over a series of experiments and field analyses, Iowa State psychology educators, Nicholas Carnagey, Craig Anderson, and Brad Bushman discovered numerous instances of desensitization4. “The results demonstrate that playing violent video games, even for just twenty minutes, can cause people to become less physiologically aroused by real violence,” said Carnagey. “Participants randomly assigned to play a violent video game had relatively lower heart rates and galvanic skin responses while watching footage of people being beaten, stabbed, and shot than did those randomly assigned to play nonviolent video games… It appears that individuals who play violent video games habituate or ‘get used to’ all the violence and eventually become physiologically numb to it.” Although it would be presumptuous to assume every apathetic teenager is a nihilistic sociopath,

The inquiry whether violent entertainment affects a child's brutal behavior is an argument that has been disputed upon for several years. Most researches performed have concluded that violence in the media does not relate to the acts of a child, unless the child has been exposed to various types of environments. Other research is clearly lacking a direct causal relationship between violent video games and youth violence (MassGeneral,2012). Children's acts of violence are determined by what or with whom they are associated with.

The movie, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, came to theaters in 2005. The general synopsis of the movie is two competing assassins marry each other without knowing either one is an assassin for the opposing firm. These killers live happily with each other for several years before realizing they are opposing assassins. This causes them to fight each other before teaming up to fight against a greater evil (Mr. and Mrs. 2005). Within the released trailer, there are many sequences of violence including: a bazooka getting fired at some unknown object, two gunfights, a gesture implying strangulation, and many others (Mr. and Mrs. 2005).

There are indicators that links playing violent video games to increasing aggression in young people. Teenagers who are expose to violent games are more supposable to increase the likelihood of experiencing aggressive thoughts, in which turns into the likelihood of engaging in physical aggression against another person. Furthermore, violent video games produce an emotional desensitization to aggression and violence to the youth (Anderson). Based on the observation teenagers are exposed to when they are playing violent video games, they will reenact almost immediately in real life if the situational contact is sufficiently similar to the ones in the games. Therefore, consumption of violent video games produces negative behaviors that are controlled by negative

Is aggressive behavior in children attributed to the viewing violent movies and video games? This topic has been in the forefront of social psychologists research, trying to determine if there is indeed, a link between the two. Research concludes that the cause and threat are there, and warn parents against allowing their children access of such media. Researcher have outlined the following three key points; 1) Exposure to violence, whether firsthand or through media increases the likelihood of aggressive behavior. 2) Effects of violence can be classified as short term and long term. 3) The overall effects of media violence can be large (Hoffman, 2014). The major professional societies, which include American Academy of Pediatrics, Academy

Overexposing children to violence through television and gaming content have contributed to their aggressive behaviors. “Playing bloody computer games causes many problems for children”. “According to researchers at these problems include increasing juvenile delinquency, rewiring children’s brains towards violence, breaking rules, and isolating children from the outside world.” (Al-Warafy,

“According to Lt. Col. David Grossman, who wrote Stop Teaching Our Kids to kill, repeated exposure to media violence on TV, movies and especially violent video games is directly connected to aggressive behavior in our children.” Why Video Games Are Bad For America. (2013).

Many factors have been cases of study for researchers to support the thesis of behavioral changes as a consequence of exposure to violent video games and media. Among these factors the following can be found: repetition increase learning of aggressive behavior, violence exposure causes a desensitizing effect and depression as a risky factor in children and youth who play violent video games for a significant amount of time.

During the past decade, America has witnessed an alarming increase in the incidence of violence in the lives of children. On a daily basis, children in America are victims of violence, as witnesses to violent acts in their homes or communities, or as victims of abuse, neglect, or personal assault. The causes of violent behavior in society are complex and interrelated. Among the significant contributors are poverty, racism, unemployment, illegal drugs, inadequate or abusive parenting practices, and real-life adult models of violent problem-solving behavior.

As evidence has shown, children view many violent scenes while watching television, movies, or playing video games, but the question still remains: What psychological effect does violence in the media have on children? Research over the past 10 years has consistently shown that there is a cause-and-effect relationship between media violence and real-life aggression (Strasburger 129). Violence in the media can lead to aggressive behavior by children and teenagers who watch the various programs. Of course, not all children who watch television, or movies, or play video games develop aggressive behavior. However, there is a strong correlation between media violence and aggressive behavior. A study, published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry, examined how children's television viewing practices are related to aggressive behaviors. The results revealed that children who reported watching greater amounts of television per day had higher levels of violent behavior than children who reported lesser amounts of television viewing (Singer 1041). Witnessing violence is an important determining factor in violent behavior. The media serves as a means for children to witness violence. According to Bandura's Social Learning Theory, children imitate behavior that they see on television, especially if the person performing the behavior is attractive or if the