The Role of Television on Childhood Violence

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The Role of Television on Childhood Violence

What does the world look like these days? It often seems like everywhere one looks, violence is there. We see it on the streets, back alleys, school, and even at home. The last of these is a major source of violence. In many peoples' living rooms there sits an outlet for violence that often goes unnoticed. It is the television, and the children who view it are often hypnotized by action that takes place in it.

Violence is the use of one's powers to inflict mental or physical injury upon another (Webster, 659). Research shows that television is definitely a major source of violent behavior. Media has been considered by Ciony C. Gonzales as "…the most dominant art form…." (1984, 9) as it has an innate power to engage and affect people worldwide. Media forms values everywhere, not knowing that it is doing so. In addition, these values may sometimes contradict or go against the lessons that have been taught in the classroom or by parents (James, 1999, 40).

The research proves time and time again that aggression and television viewing do go hand in hand. The truth about television violence and children has been shown. Some are trying to fight this problem. Others are ignoring it and hoping it will go away. Still others don't even seem to care. However, the facts are undeniable.

There is endless controversy today concerning society being highly affected by media programs displaying violence. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) reports that violence in the media has increased since 1980 and continues to increase. Thousands of studies have pointed to a relationship between media violence and real life crime. Years of research show that exposu...

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...tions to come. We can continue to ignore the issues and let the media control the future of our world, yet the concequences are deadly. After all, what's the world going to be like when the people who are now children are running the world?

Bibliography:

Works Sited

Gonzales, Ciony C. "Taking Films Seriously." Life Today, January 1984, pp. 9.

"Webster's New World Dictionary." New York: Simon & Schuster Inc., 1995

Life Today, June 1999, pp. 40. Fr. James. "Media and Values."

Cheyney, Glenn Alan. Television in American Society. New York: Franklin Watts Co., 1983

Carter, Douglass. T.V. Violence and the Child. New York: Russel Sage Foundation, 1977.

Langone, John. Violence. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1984.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children Media violence continues to increase http://www.naeyc.org

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