Exposure to Violent TV Causes Aggressive Behavior in Children

* According to the National Television Violence Study, the context in which violence is portrayed is as important to its impact as the amount of violence. The study concluded that 66% of children's programming had violence. Of the shows with violent content three-quarters demonstrated unpunished violence and when violence occurred 58% of the time, victims were not shown experiencing pain. (14)

“Media Violence: Opposing Viewpoints” edited by William Dudley conveys the reader with key statistics, and explanations to understand the difficulty of media violence. The data includes the following: “47% of all violent intercommunications display no harm to victims, and 58% show no agony. Similarly less recurrent is the illustration of an everlasting aftermath of violence. Evidence also shows that only 16% of all programs depict the long-term negative backlash of assault, such as cognitive, monetary, or poignant harm, apart 4% of violent programs engage a robust anti-violent

Television is the mainstream of our culture. Violence on television has been a topic of conflict since before 1950. There have been repeated debates on how to protect children from the harmful effects of violence on television. Television is one form of modern media that influences the everyday lives of people. Televised violence has a major effect on how children perceive the world and how they behave. "American television has become the most violent in the world. It is for this reason why researchers have focused their attention toward television violence" (Cantor & Hoffner 424-4-25). Children enjoy watching television and now with the increased technology of cable and movie

Today nearly 98% of American households have televisions. This makes television the single most important source of media in the lives of children and adolescents. Research shows that about 21- 23 hours per week on average, that children between the ages of five and twelve are exposed. This brings much controversy as to how television delivers the news, media, and violence to young children and adolescents. Many argue that the viewing of television during these crucial years of development can be very harmful involving the link of violence with aggressive behavior, hindering emotional and social development, the lack of exercise, health and activities, the development of temperament in young children, and sleep deprivation.

Over the past two decades, hundreds of studies have examined how violent programming on TV affects children and young people. While a direct "cause and effect" link is difficult to establish, there is a growing consensus that some children may be vulnerable to violent images and messages.

Think about how often children watch television. Over the past years the amount of time children spend watching television has dramatically gone up. With this increase there is also an increase in the amount of violence that is on the television. Many individuals ask themselves why the violence among children and youth has gone up. The fact that violence is everywhere a child looks could be one of the main answers for this devastating question.

The federal government in the US has taken the initiative to curb not only the amount of violence that can be shown by one program, but also the level of violence that can be shown and to what audiences. By limiting the amount of violence shown on television before 10pm, the Federal Communications Commission, or FCC, is trying to make sure that children are not exposed to the levels of gratuitous violence intended for more mature audiences. As early as the 1960s, studies reported that watching television can make children more aggressive. In fact, the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the National Institute of Mental Health have all linked

Media violence is one of the most debated public issues society faces today. Television screens are loaded with the glamorization of weapon carrying. Violence constitute as amusing and trivialized. Needless portrayals of interpersonal violence spread across the television screens like wild fire. Televisions spew the disturbing events such as children being assaulted, husbands inflicting domestic abuse on their wives and children succumbing to abuse by their parents. Scenes of betrayal, anguish, infiltrate the television screen. Unfortunately, a child becomes subjected to media violence. Everything a child sees or hears in the media affects them in some way or another. The precise effects of media violence on children are

One major factor contributing to the aggressive behavior found in American citizens who watch violence on television is the sheer amount of television they watch. The average American child spends more time watching television than in the classroom--making the television an "electronic teacher," actually teaching kids almost double the hours an actual teacher does by the time the child graduates high school (Posch). With nearly 99% of American households having a television--usually more than one--it’s no wonder the amount of television watched in America has gone up every year. A 1993 Neilsen report showed an average of 23 hours of TV per week for 2 to 11 year olds and almost 22 hours per week by teenagers (Hepburn). But while the number of sets in the home has increased, the amount of family viewing has decreased. Media Dynamics estimates that approximately 52% of all television viewing is by one person (Hepburn). And with so many single parents in America, the television becomes a babysitter of sorts. Many parents consider the

It appears that the rating systems are undermined by the marketing efforts of the very groups responsible for their implementation and effectiveness” (McIntyre 94). He has a concerned tone, which encourages readers to question the media. Not only is the media affecting children, but he also points out that parents are one of the reasons that kids are being over exposed to violence. He claims that “most adults see [advertisements] as a relatively harmless annoyance” (McIntyre 94). While he does admit that the media is essentially the cause for children becoming violent, he also suggests that most parents don’t feel it’s an issue but just an “annoyance” (McIntyre 94). What McIntyre is trying to get through is that without the help of parents children will continue to mimic everything they watch on television or movies. His purpose in writing this article is to convince the reader that there should be more restrictions from promoting violence in television shows, movies, and advertisements. Throughout the article he uses a worried tone to convince readers into protecting their children from violence on television. He hopes to inform society of the effects of violence in the media towards children in order to minimize the amount of dangerous behavior.

Television is the source of the most broadly shared images and messages in history; it is the mainstream of the common symbolic environment into which children are born and which has a major part to play in our lives. One can argue that media violence contribute towards social violence where the effects place a huge impact in ones being. Television violence is not only a form of media violence; there are other significant forms of media that contribute to media violence which are computer games, comic books and music. In this essay I will compare the theoretical perspectives and methodologies of at least three different approaches to the study of the effects of media violence and how effective they are in establishing a link between

According to a study of children interviewed by Huesmann and Eron found that increasing rates of aggression for both boys and girls who watch more violent television even when controlling for initial agressoveness and many other backgroundfactors. For exmple ,children who watch violent scene in middle childhood 11% of the males had been convicted of a crime .42% had pushed,grabbed ,shoved their spouse ,69%had shoved a person while angry. For female,39%of the high violence viewers had thrown something at their spouse 17% had pushed bitten or choked (Violence on Telivision and films).Media violence is a threat to public health .Research shows fictional television and film violence contribute to an increase in aggression and violence. Therefore,this movie content lot of violence .Even though,there is little blood and no real gore,violence is discussed openly and research shows that media violence contributes aggressive behavior and short term and long term aggression in young

          Due to violence on television, children become less sensitive to that pain and suffering of others or to become more aggressive to others. It also makes children more fearful to the world around them. (Abelard 1) Viewing habits of children observed for many decades deduced that violence on TV is associated with aggressive behavior, more than poverty, race, or parental behavior. It also reported that a TV show contains about 20 acts of violence an hour.

Television is a big part of today’s society. Everybody watches television, including the children. There is a potential problem with letting children watch television. Ask this question, would someone let their own child watch some of the programming that they watch, too? Some of these programs are intended for the adult generation, not young children. Violence has a major role in television these days. Letting children watch this violence could corrupt their minds and eventually lead to bad behavior. There needs to be a limitation on the types of television programming that parents let their children watch, because violence in television can negatively affect children.

"Impact of media use on children and youth” explores the good and bad effects that media can have on a young child’s development both mentally and physically. In the beginning of the article, they provided examples of how watching television can expose young children to violence, sexuality, and offensive language. The author made an interesting point that connected an increase in violent behaviors with children who watch violent