Children Viewing Violence on Television

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Children Viewing Violence on Television

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 through imitation; one venue by which they gain examples to imitate is television. Thus exposure to excessive television violence has negative effects on the young people who view it.

The American Psychological Association claims that if children watch two to four hours of television daily, they will have been witnesses to 8,000 murders and more than 100,000 other acts of violence by the time they finish elementary school. After more than thirty years of extensive research, it has been proven that television violence is harmful to children's health and welfare. It causes children to fear the world around them, become numb to the violence in the world, accept violence as a normal response to conflict, or act aggressively. When a child is watching television, then they are off the streets, but not necessarily safe from violence. According to TV Guide's Center for Media and Public Affairs, a violent act appears on television every six minutes. This constant bombardment on America's children is dang...

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...casting networks. Parents should also play a key role in counteracting violence seen by children. Through the implementation of the V-chip, parental involvement, and possible broadcasting reform, America's children can be protected from television violence.

Work Cited

Diamant, Anita. "Media Violence." Parents October 1994: 40-5.

Dickson, Glen. "How's it work?" Broadcasting & Cable 12 February 1996: 24-26.

Gladwell, Malcolm. "Chip Thrills." The New Yorker 20 January 1997: 7-8.

Levine,Madeline. Viewin~Violence. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, inc., 1996.

Marin' Rick. "Blocking the Box." Newsweek 11 March 1996: 60-62.

National Coalition on Television Violence. "TV Violence is pervasive..." 19 October 1997. Netscape. Available: http://www.nctw.org.

"TV Violence and Kids." The Education Digest September 1996: 23-26.

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