Violet Medias Impact on Children

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Although violence is not a new concept in society, it has become a much bigger issue than in years past. An increase in violent tendencies can be attributed to many factors including media violence. Mass violent attacks have become much more prevalent and violence amongst youths (the main demographic of violent media) is on the rise. The causes of violence are multifactorial, and range from mental health illness to one’s family life at home. But research has shown that violent media also plays an important role in triggering violent behavior. Research has shown a strong correlation between at risk youth and violent behavior. Violent media surrounds children today from a multitude of mediums from television to video games. Prolonged exposure to violent media becomes a risk factor and can result in children becoming desensitized to violence. Overtime, violence becomes a fact of life and children lose their ability to sympathize with the victim. Exposure to violent media does not itself induce violence but it is a risk factor and can strongly influence those predisposed to a violent nature. Through an analysis of more than 200 studies, researchers showed the short-term effect of exposure to violent media had a moderate to large correlation. Media violence can have a quantifiable, adverse effect on children as they learn to view violence as means of positive conflict resolution. According to Strasburger and Grossman, (2001) the offenders of recent school shootings were exposed to and captivated by many different forms of violent media. Children are more susceptible to being influenced by their surroundings and, unlike adults, they cannot always distinguish between reality and fiction. Violent media has a clear, negative effect on the ...

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...hieve the same status as their idol.
Overall, violent media places our children in unnecessary danger. There is no way to end violence in the media, but by understanding its effects on children, society can develop new ways to protect our youth. Never before in history has media been so prevalent and accessible. Humans are most vulnerable and easily influenced when they are children. Yet, children are exposed to an unnecessary amount of gratuitous violence in the media for excessive amounts of time for a week (28 hours per week). This is time that could be spent playing outside and developing positive social skills; instead they it is spent learning violent behavior. This can potentially lead to aggressive and violent behavior in real life. Violent media has adverse effects on the development of children and can have a serious negative influence on their behavior.

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