Violence On Television

We need to examine exactly what these companies are telling children and the effects these violent stories are having on the children who watch them. One of the first negative effects researchers discovered while observing children who were frequently exposed to violence on television was a lack of empathy towards other people’s pain and suffering. It was discovered that children who watched excessive amounts of violent programming were less likely to help victims of real-life violence ( Kinnear 6 ). Why does viewing violence on television have this effect on children? Children viewing acts of violence on television are essentially being trained to be spectators to violence.

Once thought as a great invention, television has become a major problem. Violence is a major part of today’s television shows and movies that are targeted towards our youth. Violence is increasing regularly in the television shows kids are watching: “ Fifty-seven percent of television programs contain psychologically harmful violence” (Kaufman 1). Through heavy television watching, children can encounter many violent shows that are not suited for them. This can affect a child in many ways.

Media violence has a strong influence on children and teenagers here in America. There are tons of media violence such as video games, televisions, music videos, and the internet. Research showed the evidence that the exposure to violent films, video games, and music is increasing the violence and aggression from teenagers and children. Children are more likely to imitate the violence from the television. The process of imitating is a social learning theory.

Children and Television Violence Through what they experience on television, children are forced into adulthood at too young of an age. The innocence of youth is lost when children stare endlessly at a screen displaying the horrors of murder, rape, assault, devastating fire, and other natural disasters. Although these are occurrences in everyday life, things adults have grown accustomed to hearing about, children do not have the maturity level to deal with these tragedies appropriately. Children's behavior changes because they become desensitized to the violence. There are many preventative techniques that can be applied to ensure that negativity on television will not interfere with a child's development.

When children are age four and younger are exposed to violence in the media it is the same as if they witnessed it in real life. This leads to young children fearing the world that they have to live in for unknown or irrational reasons to adults. The exposure of violent media to children is not as easily prevented as one might think. “Children’s programming, particularly cartoons, display up to 20 violent acts hourly” (Beresin, Eugene). Even watching cartoons children are getting exposed to violent behavior that, to them, directly translates to the real world.

Television has evolved into a significant accessory of American households. At first, television seemed like a “social breakthrough;” however it has claimed control over several aspects of daily life. The most detrimental consequences from watching television are found in adolescents. Children are susceptible to various levels of influence; therefore society should prioritize the type of behavior modeled for them. Television has the ability to “traumatize children.” (Boyse) The impact television has over society hinders the ability for many to recognize the dangers that come from it.

The basic reason is because violence is what people want to see. Much of the American viewing audience, and especially children, will watch the shows with more action before they even think about watching the morally correct ones. Another reason is that some broadcasters claim that there is not enough evidence to prove that TV violence is harmful. But, scientists who have studied this aspect have stated that TV violence and aggressive behavior are linked. In a Children Now Executive Summary, only one of many studies on the issue, experts agreed, among other relevant topics, "that television can have a negative effect on children, encouraging anti-social behavior such as dishonesty or violence."

The Effect of Television Violence on Children Television can be a powerful influence in developing value systems and shaping behavior; The violence that children are constantly subjected to on television can have very harmful affects if not monitored carefully. More and more often parents are using television as a means of entertaining their children when they are unable to, and the amount of television that children are watching is a growing concern in our society. While a large part of the concern is the quantity of television that young people are viewing, a more pressing issue is the quality that is offered to them. While cartoons may seem to be harmless and humorous, that is not always the case. A good portion of the violence that is on television is captured in Saturday morning cartoons, when children are most likely to be captivated by them.

Al... ... middle of paper ... ...sive because they don’t see a problem with it. Parents can limit the amount of television their child watches, and by simply doing that, their child’s behavior would change to being less aggressive. Along with the violence in television, people around the world are also becoming extremely dependent on technology and this would greatly increase in the future, for the simple fact that human’s believe technology makes everything easier. References American Psychological Association (2008). Violence in the Media — Psychologists Study TV and Video Game Violence for Potential Harmful Effects.

This article focuses on the potential emotional effects that graphic television news stories have on children viewing them. The other article, “Report of the Media Violence Commission,” provides a more detailed look at how violence in the media impacts Americans of all ages; it shows the results of several studies that prove the effects are often negative. This article also addresses the risk factors, evidence of the effects of violent media, and ways these effects can be lessened. Walma Van Der Molen showed me that children become stressed or anxious after watching traumatic television news events; and “Report of the Media Violence Commission” showed me that being exposed to media violence in the form of television, internet or video games can increase the possibility of people becoming aggressive. I believe the media can have negative consequences on people in its portrayal of violence, but sometimes the use of violence is necessary to prove a point or to broadcast news.