Effect of Media Violence on Children

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Effect of Media Violence on Children

The children of today are surrounded by technology and entertainment that is full of violence. It is estimated that the average child watches from three to five hours of television a day! Listening to music is also a time consuming pastime among children. With all of that exposure, one might pose the question, "How can seeing so much violence on television and video games and hearing about violence in in music affect a child's behavior?" Obviously these media have a big influence on childrens' behavior: we can see it in the way they attempt to emulate their favorite rock stars by dressing in a similar style and the way children play games, imitating their favorite cartoon personalities or super heroes. Studies have shown that extensive television viewing may be associated with, "aggressive behavior, poor academic performance, precocious sexuality, obesity, and the use of drugs or alcohol." Television, video games, and music are very influential and if their is too much violence available for children to watch, play, or listen to, this can sway their attitudes in a negative direction.

Music

Music is a big part of children's lives, especially as the children become older and enter adolescence. We can see how influential rock stars are just by looking at the children of today: they dress and sometimes try to act just like their idols. Music can be very powerful and there have been numerous stories in the news of teenagers trying to commit suicide or committing crimes and then blaming it on song lyrics. Perhaps the music itself is not such an influential agent, but the artists are and if they are behaving in an unbecoming manner, many kids will try and be like them. For example, rapp...

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...ose video games and programs that enhance their children's learning. As you can see, each of these media has a strong influence on the lives and behavior of children, but whether that influence is good or bad is up to the artist, television star, or program writer.

Conclusion

In conclusion, television, music, and video games are all things that are fun and sometimes educational for kids. However, these media can be a bad influence on children, depending on the content. Children are extremely impressionable and if they are exposed to violent television, music or video games then they will start to emulate that show, artist or song, or video game with their behavior. These are all so powerful that they should be used to teach children how to problem solve and help them expand their minds, not show them how to kill someone or teach them other violent behavior.

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