Essay about Media Violence - Television Perpetuates Violence

* 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)

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

The portrayal of violence on television is shown in cartoons, comedies, horrors, dramas, and many other genre television shows. Some cartoons as well as other television shows, endlessly display violence--that youth often view as a form of entertainment. However, the actions and behavior conveyed on the television do not make youth commit violent acts. It induces them to believe that violence is just the standard way of living life. On the television, the lawbreaker gets away with the crime and does not face disciplinary actions, and therefore they are not held responsible for the repercussions of their wrongdoings (Menhard 11).

In the United States children watch an average of three to fours hours of television daily (Cantor & Wilson, 1984, p. 28). Television can be a powerful influence in developing value systems and shaping behavior. Unfortunately, much of today's television programming is violent. Studies of the effects of TV violence on children and teenagers have found that children may become insensitive to violence. Consequently, they tend to gradually accept violence as a way to solve problems by imitating the violence they observe on television; and they identify with certain characters, good or bad. Therefore, extensive viewing of television violence by children causes greater

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.

The article “Violence As Fun” by Randall Sullivan brings up this issue, arguing that parents need to be educated on the dangers of allowing their children to watch violent TV programs. The author supports this with evidence from a report conducted by The American Psychological Association, where they concluded that early substance abuse, access to weapons, isolation, and widespread display of violence in media; the latter being greater, contributes to the violent behaviors in adolescents. He also points out that since the 1950s, aggravated assaults have increased seven times. The passage further emphasizes that many TV outlets know the damaging effects that violence in media has on juveniles, yet only a few acknowledge this fact. Sullivan’s

There is no question that television and films these days are filled with violence and antisocial behavior. Virtually every show, movie or news story nowadays has some sort of violent theme. Studies have shown that for every hour of television, there are 6 violent exchanges shown, and this number increases to 14 exchanges an hour

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

Parents often blame television influencing their children to encourage them to put their lives as risk just to become much more “cooler” and close to their favourite superhuman or character. Showcasing of violent shows often has been linked to increase in the rate of juvenile crime. Entertaining shows such as tom and jerry also send certain messages creating a change in the psychology of children, since it is easy to influence it at that age.Through such violent programs children get the idea that violence is a means to power.

Television is especially influential on the children of today. Thirty years ago, not every home had a television; they were considered a luxury that only the rich could afford. Now, most households have two televisions and children watch them incessantly. Many children's programs are extremely violent and a child can learn violent behavior from watching these programs. For example, about a month ago, in Norway, a small girl was beaten, stripped, and left to die by three boys aged 5, 6, and 6. When asked why

          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.

By the time someone is 18, they have already seen about 200,000 violent acts by watching TV (“Television”). As children grow up, they spend a lot of their time in front on the television. They learn from what they can see. The problem is that a lot of violence is shown on TV. This exposes children to actions that they should not see until they are old enough to understand what is happening. The violence in movies and television affect society’s children’s way of growing up because they are exposed to aggressive actions since they are young.

Children view violence in different ways when they watch it on television, whether it is cartoons or a type of drama and action programming. After children have watched these television shows, they may have interpreted the meaning into a negative behavior. It could influence them by becoming aggressive, afraid of the world that surrounds them, or it may lead to confusion. When it is said that children may become confused because their parents teach that violence is wrong. When they view someone in a “superhero” position participating in violence, they may see that as it is all right for the simple fact the good person does the action. According to the American Academy of Children and Adolescent Psychiatry, “the impact of TV violence may be immediately evident in the child's behavior or may surface years later (AACAP, 2011).”

            "Fear of violence is one reason that children are spending less time outside playing and more time watching TV," says William Abbott, president of the Boston-based National Foundation to Improve Television.  (Bergenfield)  However, just because children aren't outside as much as they used to be doesn't mean that they are escaping from the threat of violence.  Television can be a powerful influence in developing value systems and behavior in children.  Unfortunately, much of today's television programming is violent.  Several studies by UCLA " have found that children may become 'immune' to the horror of violence, gradually accept violence as a way to solve problems, imitate the violence they observe on television, and identify with certain character; victims and/or victimizers."  (UCLA)  The impact of TV violence may be immediately evident in a child's behavior or may surface years later.  However, this is not to say that violence on television is the only source for aggressive or violent behavior, but it is a significant factor.

According to the Kaiser Foundation report “…81 percent of parents have seen their children imitate either positive or aggressive behaviors from TV” (Kaufman 699). A council created by the University of California at Santa Barbara and the University of Texas at Austin, which included medical organizations, conducted the National Television Violence Study (NTVS). The NTVS found that “…violence often was portrayed in the contextual manner that earlier research suggested would increase the likelihood of negative effects on viewers, especially children” (Shifrin 1). The positive uses of television are that it can teach children with shows like “Sesame Street”, where they can learn the alphabet and new words. Children also benefit from watching programs about different cultures, music and art. Television is also a way to allow families to spend time together and have something to talk about. Although, television is a negative influence on children it can also be a positive one.