Violence in Children Is Not Just From TV Most parents expect a four year old to be very active and zealous, but never violent. However, some children exhibit violent behavior, such as running around the playground kicking, karate chopping and biting other children. The following example is based on personal experience. In 1997 this was the case with a family in Georgia who had a son with these behavioral problems. The parents took their child to counseling in order to figure out what the problem was. After a brief counseling session, those parents were perplexed and angry. It was difficult for them to believe that a counselor would blame them or suggest putting their child on drugs. After counseling, the father and child watched the …show more content…
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. Because of the negative psychological impact that violence in television can have on children, many parents turn to medical solutions. Since the medical solution is always the easiest solution many fail to see alternatives. As an example, the parents discussed earlier visited a counselor for their child; the counselor began with the basic questioning. After fifteen minutes the counselor determined that
It is a matter of great importance how much of media content children are exposed to and what exactly they are viewing on media. The issue of violence is not a new phenomenon among children and keeps increasing with time and change in technology and information technology. The causes of violence in children are seen to be multifactorial and exposure of children to media violence is said to be an important factor when it comes to the etiology of behaviors that are violent among children.
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
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.
In fairy tales, children are pushed into ovens, have their hands chopped off, are forced to sleep in coal bins, and must contend with wolves who've eaten their grandmother. In myths, rape, incest, all manner of gruesome bloodshed, child abandonment, and total debauchery are standard fare. We see more of the same in Bible stories, accentuated with dire predictions of terrors and abominations in an end of the world apocalypse that is more horrifying than the human imagination can even grasp.
The media in today’s society is very influential on children. There are many things that children at a very young age are learning, for example violence. Many children learn violent behavior and they become violent and aggressive children because they are exposed to so much mature content. Many parents are not aware of what their children are watching, and without knowing it, their children are raised by the media. Many television shows contain a lot of violence, for example kids fighting each other, kids bullying other kids and kids yelling and disrespecting their parents. Unfortunately, at a very young age children are learning to be aggressive and violent because they are spending more time watching television than spending it
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
In virtually all American households, a television is present. Through this electronic device, the public receives different messages. The main use of the television is for entertainment purposes. The programs on television usually mirror and enhance the different aspects of American culture. People ranging from infants to elderly adults watch television, the subject matter that is appropriate for these different age groups varies. Yet, television is indiscriminate of age presenting any topic to whoever chooses to view it. The television of today contains various aspects of society and enhances it, creating an entertaining program. One of these aspects is violence. Young children learn
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.
understanding that what they see on television is not reality. To them, the acts of
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.
In recent times, the news media has cried out against violent media, painting it as the leading cause for youth violence. Following events such as the Columbine massacre, news sources have vilified violent media, claiming that it is a primary cause of violent behavior in youths. This analysis provides firm research on the subject from the opposing and supporting sources, giving a thorough definition to the term “violent media” and brings forth evidence that other psychological effects and environmental factors are more significant causes of increased youth aggression than violent media.
enthralling than it is viewed in reality, the children find the violent and the hostile behaviors of the
with teens from the ages of twelve to eighteen. It is a controversial subject that is an
In the book Critique of Violence ,author Walter describes Violence as "The intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, which either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, male development, or deprivation .The violence that is portrayed in the media has been debated for decades ,and it has rose a question about how does it influence the youth?. From movies to video games society has been accustom to seeing violence in their everyday entertainment. Since children are easy to be influence by their environment, it is safe to say that violence in the media can and will contribute to violent behavior.