Television's Responsibility in Violent Children

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With school shootings becoming a frequent occurrence in our country, we have to ask the question on whether or not the violence produced in children has been influenced by his or her surroundings. Could the violence seen in television shows lead the way to these actions? With these violent situations growing we have to start looking into this issue. TV programs should be held moderately responsible for the violent actions of children because they promote negative influences.
When we think of violence, we automatically picture guns and knives being used to kill people. Although this is a part of violence, it’s not the only way a violent situation can arise. Violence can be any harm done to a person through physical contact. Along with guns and knives, this can include one’s own bare hands or any object within proximity. On television, we see every type of violence carried out, whether it be a simple punch or a serial killer who finds pleasure in the violence he causes. Any form of a violent situation that you can think of has most likely been acted out on a television series or movie. TV is written to blow scenarios out of proportion and create unrealistic versions of different scenarios. Instead of a decent conversation to solve a problem, a punch is thrown or a gun is pulled. By portraying these types of solutions, television is promoting violent behavior. The characters in the action, crime or horror shows are actively encouraging these types of behavior. Although these scenes are needed to produce a captivating plot, there needs to be awareness as to the fact that these scenes are being idolized to the wrong audience.
Some might say that there are too many variables that have to be taken into consideration with a child’s...

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...tegy, which is highly promoted in television and cinema. While the state of the mind and family life are both crucial contributors to the actions of children, it is wrong to rule out the influence of violent television programs. The thoughts in our minds turn into the words that we speak and the actions we imitate. If these thoughts are created by the violent images seen on TV, then the words we speak will become hateful and cruel and our actions will cause harm to those around us. That is why television should be held moderately responsible for the violent actions of children. They are promoting negative influences which in return will swarm the young, developing minds of children and create adults with immoral actions and emotions towards violent situations.

Works Cited

Johnson, Steven. “Watching TV Makes You Smarter..” They Say/I Say. 2nd edition. 2012. Print

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