Teen Violence

Teen violence is a serious and rapidly growing problem in America. From the horrible incident at Columbine, Colorado to the everyday incidents of youth violence, it is apparent that the problem is growing not shrinking. There are, according to most studies, several possible contributing factors which lead young people to violent behavior.

One problem facing children growing up in America is today's media bombardment. Children growing up in today's media bombardment are learning all the wrong things at all the wrong times. Crime can become a way of life to adolescents. They look up to drug dealers, admire rock stars, and imitate robbers. Television, the media, and music are all distorting the rules of society, and are the most influential things in a youths' life. Instead of what would of been, back in the 80's, an innocent game of catch with their fathers, children are inside watching a murderer blow up thousands of people.

"Today's children, unlike those of earlier generations, are fed a steady diet of glorified violence ... By the age of sixteen,

the typical child has witnessed as estimated 200,000 acts of violence, including 33,000 murders. Inevitably, contend many experts, some youngsters will imitate the brutality in real life." - Time Magazine

The media bombardment that teens are faced with in society distorts the laws of reality, and as one sociologist puts it: " adolescents show little if any concern for the physical injury or harm inflicted for their victims.( Lang p. 44)" In addition to these factors, when parents are violent around their children, research shows that the children grow up at ao guarantees "ghetto children" of having a fat wallet as well as providing status and the chance to move their way up to even higher positions with more attainable cash. Juveniles are the ones now trafficking drugs throughout the streets,

since they will receive lesser penalties than an ad...

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... a good education, and a supportive community, life is different. Yet no matter how stressful childhood can be, most teenagers do not respond violently. The most powerful place to learn violence is in the family. When violence is glorified by the culture, as it is in America, it becomes easier to understand why our country is plagued by a wave of teen violence.

Violence is similar to a disease, that is slowly infecting our children. If not dealt with it will continue to spread and infect more and more individuals. As teens fight their way through adolescence, they are vulnerable to influences and pressures around them. When their environment is full of hatred, neglect, and poverty, where guns are present along with drug abuse, and unemployment, teenagers will adapt to its savage ways. Children keep becoming more and more violent at an earlier age in their life. The children fall hopelessly into the cracks of drug abuse and hatred with no way out.

We need to slow this cycle of violence down by first realizing the severity of the problem. If we neglect to devote our best efforts in the battle of teen violence, the disease will spread rotting the very soul of society.