Children And Tv Violence

Children And TV Violence No. 13; Updated March 2011 Click here to download and print a PDF version of this document. American children watch an average of four hours of television daily. Television can be a powerful influence in developing value systems and shaping behavior. Unfortunately, much of today's television programming is violent. Hundreds of studies of the effects of TV violence on children and teenagers have found that children may: • • • •

become "immune" or numb to the horror of violence gradually accept violence as a way to solve problems imitate the violence they observe on television; and identify with certain characters, victims and/or victimizers

Extensive viewing of television violence by children causes greater aggressiveness. Sometimes, watching a single violent program can increase aggressiveness. Children who view shows in which violence is very realistic, frequently repeated or unpunished, are more likely to imitate what they see. Children with emotional, behavioral, learning or impulse control problems may be more easily influenced by TV violence. The impact of TV violence may be immediately evident in the child's behavior or may surface years later. Young people can even be affected when the family atmosphere shows no tendency toward violence. While TV violence is not the only cause of aggressive or violent behavior, it is clearly a significant factor. Parents can protect children from excessive TV violence in the following ways: • • • • • •

pay attention to the programs their children are watching and watch some with them set limits on the amount of time they spend with the television; consider removing the TV set from the child's bedroom point out that although the actor has not actually been hurt or killed, such violence in real life results in pain or death refuse to let the children see shows known to be violent, and change the channel or turn off the TV set when offensive material comes on, with an explanation of what is wrong with the program disapprove of the violent episodes in front of the children, stressing the belief that such behavior is not the best way to resolve a problem to offset peer pressure among friends and classmates, contact other parents andagree to enforce similar rules about the length of time and type of program the children may watch

Parents can also use these measures to prevent harmful effects from television in other areas such as racial or sexual stereotyping. The amount of time children watch TV, regardless of content, should be moderated because it decreases time spent on more beneficial activities such as reading, playing with friends, and developing hobbies. If parents have serious difficulties setting limits, or have ongoing concerns about their child's

behavior, they should contact a child and adolescent psychiatrist for consultationand assistance

The Effects of Television Violence

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hat is violence? Do you think that children who watch violence on television will show violent behavior? What about the terrible tragedies in which kids kill other kids, why? Many studies have been done to answer the question of television violence and its effects on children. Studies have been done by scientists, pediatricians, and child researchers in many countries over the last thirty years. These studies have tried to find out what it is about television violence that makes it such a big influence on the way kids act and behave.

Television violence causes aggressive behavior in children A shocking study by television researchers Bandura and Ross was done to get at the truth about the effects of television violence on children. They split a group of kids into Groups A and B. Next, they showed Group A a videotape of a child acting very aggressively with a doll. For example, the girl in the video hit and kicked the doll. The children in Group B were shown a tape in which the same girl was having a tea party with the same doll. Later in the experiment, they put the Group A kids in a room alone with an exact copy of the doll used in the video. Children in Group A responded by hitting and kicking the doll and acted aggressively. The children in Group B were also put in a room alone with the doll and they played very nicely with it. There are

similar studies that show how violence on television increases the likelihood that children who watch will demonstrate aggressive behavior towards others. Children imitate what they see on television.

47% of violent television programs show the victim going unharmed, especially in cartoons. The person in the cartoon or television show gets bowled over by another character and they get back up without being harmed. Children begin to believe that violence doesn’t really hurt others.

73% of individuals who commit crimes in cartoons and children's shows go unpunished in violent scenes Television shows that allow the character who commits the crime to receive no punishment, teaches children that it is alright to commit a crime because nothing will be done. Criminals and violent acts do not get punished.

Violence is a good way to solve problems Television is a powerful teacher and if children are always viewing their favorite characters using violence or aggression to get what they want, children will do the same.

Television creates heroes out of the people who commit the crimes Kids feel that if they copy the criminal they will be a hero, too. The hero that commits the crime is glamorized. There is nothing heroic about violence and it is wrong to show kids that it is. Children begin to think of criminals as powerful role models.

Television reduces the value of life If Wiley Coyote gets killed, the other cartoon characters don’t care, and they may even laugh. TV makes violence and even death seem funny and unreal. Children do not learn to respect life because violent television desensitizes them.

Children cannot tell the difference between real and unreal Television is make-believe. The people in the stories are make-believe. They are actors and the story is not true. Young children are unable to realize that when a character attacks someone it is not real and should not be imitated. Think about it, many young children still believe in the Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, and Santa Claus. How can children tell the difference between real violence and the make-believe violence done with a script for television? Television should not be violent because it acts as an educator and has a responsibility to the children it educates. We should think about what we watch. I can’t change television programming myself but together we can be a voice. If you are interested in letting the networks know how you feel about television violence, you can write to them and voice your opinion. You can get a list of addresses for the networks here.

he Effect of Violence in Movies to the Society

The last few years have seen an increase in violence in movies. Action movies seem to get more 'exciting' than the previous movies each year and therefore, more violence is shown. Many people complain that violence is influencing our country and it's youths which causes many youths to fascinate about violence, eventually experience the fascination of violence for themselves and go crazy - go on a killing spree or something similar. Violence in movies do in some way affect youths and people in society. It affects people's views of themselves, other people, the world and people's thoughts on certain things. Beliefs or values and attitudes may be affected by violence in movies. For example, if a certain person is a racist and believes white people are superior to black people, they may watch a movie which displays racial discrimination, such as 'American History X', and after viewing violent action against blacks, the person may decide to take action and go out and kill black people. This is an example of someone's beliefs/values and attitudes being affected by violence in movies.

It is believed that whatever is seen at the movies, children will praise certain shows and characters featured and try to be like them. They look up to their hero and want to do everything that person does. In an action packed movie, the hero or the 'good guy' is loved by children and they may try to copy their actions, thus leading to violence. So it is believed that violence in movies will increase physical aggressiveness among children and violent criminal behavior. One method by which violent movies may promote criminal violence is simple imitation. Two surveys of young American male violent felons found that 22-34%

What Parents Can Do about Media Violence By Elizabeth Thoman

For 40 years, researchers have asked the wrong question about media violence: Does watching violence cause someone to become violent? Although there is evidence that some children imitate Ninja kicks, and that occasionally someone will "copycat" a crime they've seen or read about in the media, we know that watching violence does not itself cause people to be violent, or we would all be murderers! A more relevant question is: What is the long-term cumulative impact of excessively violent imagery as entertainment doing to us as individuals and as a society? Children have always learned how to behave in the world from the stories of their time, and the mass media are today's story-tellers. If the stories our children see routinely involve violence as a solution to problems, or simply as a random omnipresence, what kind of personal value system and cultural worldview are we passing on to our children? Even if we don t become more aggressive ourselves, we —or our neighbors, or the kids at school— may become overly fearful of others, or desensitized to the seriousness of violence to others. For almost the same period of time, but especially in recent years, many people have also asked the wrong question about television violence —Why can't somebody do something about it? Since each somebody can point a finger at the next "somebody else," everyone feels powerless to effect change. But the truth is, something can be done. And we must start by breaking the "circle of blame" about media violence. Here is how the circle of blame spins: Viewers blame those who write and create the shows. Writers and directors say the producers require violence in programs in order to get them financed. Producers blame network executives for demanding action in order to get ratings. Network executives say competition is brutal and blame the advertisers for pulling out unless a show gets high ratings. Advertisers say it's all up to the viewers! How do we break the circle? We can take responsibility for our role in perpetuating media violence. Writers, directors, producers, and executives can all work to change the ways in which violence is pre-sented on television. Advertisers can request and support nonviolent programs that also get good ratings. And parents can make especially important contributions by tak-ing charge of their televisions and taking responsibility for what their families watch. How can parents take charge? Here are five ideas.

1. Reduce exposure to media violence. This idea is based on a very simple premise: If children watch television less, and watch it less randomly, they will see less violence. This can be accomplished by setting limits on how much your

children watch, and by set-ting guidelines on what they watch. Help your children select programs within your family's guidelines. Seek to add positive programs while limiting negative ones. Another way to control what your children watch is to tape appropriate entertainment for them to watch alone. You can even skip over commercials while you tape if you are concerned about your child s exposure to television advertising. You can also apply guidelines to media other than television, including videos, movies, video games, magazines, and comic books, and encourage children to become involved in a variety of leisure activities.

2. Change the impact of violent images that are seen. The best way to help children deal with violent television is to watch with them and talk to them about what they see. Find out what they understand and what they don't. Media literacy curricula provide a variety of tools to help parents and children analyze the techniques used to stage violent scenes and decode the various depictions of violence in different media genres —news, cartoons, drama, sports, and music. It is important for children to learn the difference between reality and fantasy at an early age and to know how costumes, camera angles, and special effects can fool them. Don't simply say to kids, "Violence is bad for you and you shouldn't watch it." Instead, encourage them to develop an awareness of violence when they see it and understand its consequences through their own experience. Critical-thinking skills will stay with kids when you cant be there. Through guided practice, critical viewing can become an everyday habit for both children and adults.

3. Locate and explore alternatives to media that solve conflicts with violence. Look for TV shows videos, and books that provide positive role models to counteract the actions and attitudes of today's violent super heroes. Scan Better Viewings program listings, ask your local librarian, or see if your child s teachers or day-care providers know of appropriate books and videos. But don't limit your efforts to finding media that show good role models. Talk with your children about different ways to solve problems. Ask them to create non-violent endings to media scenes that com-monly show escalating violence. Discuss what makes a "true" hero. Encourage them to hold media heroes up to their own standards of real heroism.

4. Talk with other parents. Talk about TV management with other parents; share tips and provide support for one another. Be aware of what children are watching outside your home. Communicate your stan-dards to neighbors, grandparents, baby-sitters, and others who may care for your child or children. Ask for their cooperation in limiting the viewing of violence. If you'd like advice on setting limits and guidelines, contact local parent/teacher organizations, churches, libraries, or other community groups. Many of them sponsor classes and programs to help parents learn how to set limits on viewing time and enforce age-appropriate viewing standards.

5. Get involved in the national debate over media violence. Let your voice — and your children's voices — be heard. The Children's Television Act requires local monitoring to be effective. Sweeping telecom-munications reform legislation and public broadcasting cutbacks are currently being debated in Washington. Ask your children what they think, and encourage them to act. Even young children can learn to communi-cate their concerns to local media owners and their elected officials. And don't forget to commend what's good—positive feedback can help keep good, nonviolent programs around!

There is no one solution to the problem of media violence, nor will we ever totally eradicate violence from our lives or from the media. But there are many steps that each of us can take to reduce the amount and the impact of violent images in our lives and in the lives of our children. These individual acts, along with the acts of others, will add up to widespread social change. We have come to believe that every single soda can we pick up is one small step in saving the environment—isn't our cultural environ-ment equally important? The time has come to break the circle of blame and start building a movement for a caring culture.