Violent Consequences of Television

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Violent Consequences of Television

One of the most compelling problems I have found is that there is too much violence shown in television shows. As a father it is my responsibility to censor and educate my children on the positive and negative aspects of watching certain television shows. I believe the censorship must take place at an early age in life in order to create a firm foundation for them to grow. In my opinion, too much violence on television can influence children to grow up and to commit crimes. This is a subject now in debate between the television industry, the government and the television viewing public. There have been several highly publicized studies published to look at the effects of violence on television. Some are against violence on television and others state no claim that violence and television have a direct relationship.

Have you ever noticed children imitating some of the action they have see on television? Sometimes this may involve just make-believe "galloping" on an imaginary horse, driving an imaginary car, or "shooting" with pointing fingers at invisible pursuers. Often, however, if the violence they have witnessed is very realistic, children may also imitate punching or kicking. Those children who watch many violent action shows may begin to adopt some of the mannerisms and provocative attitudes of superheroes or police detectives and resort increasingly to fighting with their friends to settle the inevitable disagreements that often arise among playmates (Addie Jurs). People must ask themselves several questions about television violence. Does all the violent acts that children view on television cause them to commit crimes later in life? Are the effects of watching TV violence brief or ...

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...criminals. After me to reading through some of the literature I have been astounded by the amount of violent activities found among young children. These stories have definitely influenced me to pay closer attention to what the children watch on television. I must also find a way to separate the real from the fiction and explain it to my children before they get to a stage in their life in which it will be hard to make them see that too much violence on television can have a profound affect on the rest of their life.

Bibliography:

Addie Jurs, TV-becoming Unglued. Robert Erdmann Publishing. San Marcos, CA. 1992.

K. French, Screen Violence, Bloomsbury, 1996, pp20-34.

Zoglin, Richard. "Chips Ahoy". Time February 19, 1996: 58-61.

Madeline Devine, PH.D., Viewing Violence. Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group Inc. Broadway, New York, New York. 1996.

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