Becky Tobin

Professor Pope

English 101

April 28, 2012

Violence in the Media and its Effects on Young Children

            Lots of people remember being a child and wanting to play video games and watch television every second. They would wonder what “R” rated movies were like, and how they would get their hands on the new video game that was rated “T” for teen. But, do ratings even matter anymore? It seems that there is violence all over the television. Not only is it on television, but it can be found all over the media. Whether or not it is on cartoon shows, commercials or even in video games, everywhere one looks violence surrounds children.

The perception of violence has changed over the years. In the past, there was always violence, but people didn’t hear about it as much. The amount of violence in the media can corrupt a person’s mind, causing them to fear for their lives. At times, violence can occur in simple everyday activities, such as play dates, and going to school. Violence in the media appears in many different ways. People are killed every day, and it is reported on the news. The average reality television show usually has some type of violence, whether it is physical or mental. Violence has become second nature to children. Since they see it on television, play it in video games, and watch it in their households on a daily basis, they can’t help but to assume that violence is a part of life.

 In an essay called, “Teaching Our Kids to Shoot ‘Em Up”, Tina Sergio discusses the fact that there will always be violence in the world, but no matter how much there is, the amount being seen in the media can be monitored. She makes valid points, writing, “Unfortunately, violent entertainment survives on television because the audience has been conditioned to expect the harsher realities” (Sergio 204). People have become so used to violence that it’s second nature. Tina Sergio implies that parents have turned to television and video games to be their childrens’ babysitter, and on average, a child watches television and plays videogames 35 hours per week (204).  It isn’t healthy for children to be watching this amount of television per week; parents instead should be spending quality time with their children.

Not only is it the parents’ responsibility what content children see in video games, but video game manufacturers should be taking into consideration the  age of  children that tend to play these video games. Parents should be more aware of what their children watch while they are at home. They also shouldn’t be allowing them to play video games that aren’t appropriate for their age. Parents who watch their child’s television show and comment to them on the contents of the program will reduce some of the effects of violence on television. Parents who become involved can help children better understand what they see on television. This makes children more aware that the act of violence is real, and reduces the likelihood that a child will act out the violence while they play.

The Federal Communications Commission’s website provides some ways that violence on television can be monitored by parents. A technology called a v-chip allows parents or guardians to block programs that they don’t want to be seen by their children. The television industry has come up with many different ratings for television. Some of the different ratings listed on the website were for young children: TV-Y, TV-Y7, and more commonly, TV-G and TV-PG (“Federal Communications”). TV-Y is for ages 2-6 and TV-Y7 is for older children. TV-G is for general audiences; this applies to all of the public, and TV-PG is slightly different because it suggests having parental guidance (“Federal Communications”). They also have a rating system for movies. They are G, PG, PG-13, R and NC-17. Parents with young children take their children to a “G” rated movie which is for the general audience or to a “PG” movie in which parental guidance is suggested.  These rating systems are what parents use to base their decision on. Having a system like this makes parents have some sort of guideline to follow.

In Tina Sergio’s essay, she also gives examples of different ways that children are exposed to violence in the media. She states, “Although South Park is an adult cartoon, some parents allow their children to watch it, mainly because it is a cartoon” (Sergio 205). This shows that parents aren’t always aware of the content of television programs. She also provides an example of a video game that contains explicit content. She writes, “For example, in the game called Doom, the players wander through the corridors blasting the guts out of their enemies. What effects do these games have on children when day after day they sit in front of the screens pretending to shoot and kill?” (205). She later states that some people may argue that this makes children lose touch with reality. In “Violence in the Media- Effects on Child Behavior”, Kelly Nault writes, that Dr. Barbara Wilson, senior researcher, states Younger children have difficulty distinguishing televised fantasy from reality. This is a problem because children will grow up thinking that death is something that exists in a fantasy world. Video games and television should be enjoyed by all different age groups, as long as they are enjoyed in a safe and non violent matter.

It is said that violence in the media has an effect on children. Some may argue that it doesn’t have any effect. In an interview on YouTube, Michael Morgan, a communications professor from UMASS, talks about his opinion on this subject. He supports a different approach to understanding violence in the media and the effects it has on children. He states, “ There are a lot more people that are victims of violence than perpetrated, and a lot more people suffer than initiate” ( Morgan). He states that there are five to six acts of violence that occur per hour on numerous channels, and 70% of characters on television each week are involved in violence. Violence can be found on channels, such as NBC and FOX. Professor Morgan supports the idea that if people were influenced to commit violent acts by watching violence, everyone would be dead. The reason why violence is so common on television is because it can be easily understood all over the world, because violence takes place everywhere. For example, a comedy may be funny to one culture and not to another culture. So, it’s much easier to sell violence than something funny. Morgan thinks that the effect on children who watch violence in the media will cause them to live in fear and be scared of violence more often than they become violent. After watching certain things in the media people become more aware of their surroundings when they are in public. 

In Kelly Nault’s article entitled, “Violence in the Media- Effects on Child Behavior,” the author writes, “…we’re living in a violent world, between news reports on terrorism, bullying at school, and violence in the media, our children are exposed to all kinds of aggression” (Nault).  In the study, she lists different outcomes and effects children can have from watching violent television. The list says, “[Children] become less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others, [they] have heightened fear in the world, and demonstrate increased aggression and violent behavior toward others…” (Nault). Not only does she discuss the effects violence has on children but she also gives ideas for limiting the exposure of violence in the media and what can be done to reduce the effects. A few of the different ideas she lists are, “Watch a minimum of one episode of every program…” (Nault). This is so that parents can get an understanding of what exactly the television show is about. There is even a healthier approach that parents can use. As stated in the same piece, Kelly Nault suggests that parents can “Reduce… children’s exposure to media violence… [by] introduce[ing] fun alternatives to TV” (Nault). Like playing outside, and bonding with their children. There are enough ways to stop violence from being seen by children. In the future, violence can become an even worse problem, eventually affecting more people.

Whether or not you are a child or parent who has children who watch  violence in the media can affect you.

 Lots of people remember being a child and wanting to play video games and watch television every second. They would wonder what “R” rated movies were like, and how they would get their hands on the new video game that was rated “T” for teen. But, do ratings even matter anymore? It seems that there is violence all over the television. Not only is it on television, but it can be found all over the media. Whether or not it is on cartoon shows, commercials or even in video games, everywhere one looks violence surrounds children.

 

A study done almost ten years ago gives evidence that violence in the media does affect children. The study was done over a 15-year period of time. It studied children since they were young up until they became young adults. They found many results for women who watched a lot of violence on television as children. They were more likely to have thrown something at their partner, in response to someone who made them mad by shoving, punching, beating or choking the person. They also found women either committed some type of criminal act, or committed a moving traffic violation. It was reported that, women were four times more likely than other women to have punched, beaten or choked another adult.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Work Cited

Brandon, Lee E. “Teaching Our Kids to Shoot ’em up.” At a Glance: Essays. Belmont, CA:          Cengage Learning, 2012. 203-06.

“Childhood Exposure To Media Violence Predicts Young Adult Aggressive Behavior, Accord                  ing To A New 15-Year Study.” American Psychological Association (APA). Web. 10                         Apr. 2012. 

“Guide.” V-Chip. Web. 12 Apr. 2012. <http://www.fcc.gov/guides/v-chip-putting-restrictions-      what-your-children-watch>

“Professor Michael Morgan Interview Highlights on Media Violence.”YouTube.19 Nov. 2010.                 Web. 10 Apr. 2012. <ht tp://ww w.yout u