There have been lots of debates and studies discussing the impact that media violence has on children. Research has shown that media violence does affect the behavior in children. Media violence also causes aggression in children’s behavior. Psychology studies have shown how children think. “A young child is a human being who, unlike their elders, is still engaged in the fundamental process of developing the major portion of their mental capacity.
At least eighty percent of his/her intellectual aptitude is acquired during the first six years of their life. Throughout this critical period, their brain matures and develops in accordance with the exercise of their minds and the intellectual stimulation provided by their surroundings” (how children learn, 1962). What children see on a daily basis are lifestyles that they can develop. Watching violent television shows or playing violent video games will have an impact on how they grow up and the activities they take part in themselves.
According to The Academy of Pediatrics, “More than one thousand scientific studies and reviews conclude that significant exposure to media violence increases the risk of aggressive behavior in certain children, desensitizes them to violence and makes them believe that the world is a ‘meaner and scarier’ place than it is. ” If children begin to think that this type of violence is normal behavior these thoughts are often said to be hard to change later on in life. Parents should understand the affects that media violence has on their children.
Parents becoming more educated on the things that influence their children will help decrease the violent behavior in children. Children should be supervised when it comes down to the media. They should not be shown things that can cause them to want to practice and repeat. The media should take into consideration that violence is not okay for kids to be able to watch. They should encourage more positive things when it comes down to drawing in a young audience. The media makes violence easily accessible for children to watch. The media endorses violence because it makes a lot of money attracting young udiences. They make television shows, video games, and movies all promoting violence in young children. Violent acts in movies and video games have become popular over the years. The media has made it okay to sell violent acts. It is not a good thing for children to involve themselves in this violent behavior. It puts immoral thoughts into their heads and children start to think it is a good thing to kill, murder, steal, and abuse others. Evidence from psychologist suggests that performing violent acts in the media inspires children to want to practice acts of aggression.
In relation to this view, the more children practice violent acts, the more likely they are to execute violent acts (Cesarone, 1994). Video games such as, Grand Theft Auto promote prostitution, theft, and violent behavior. This game encourages males to act out these behaviors to move further along in the game. The movie the Matrix for example was said to be the triggering factor to the violent high school students that wore trench coats. They were in the end arrested for trying to play out their role as “The One.
It is believed that acting out such violence as opposed to just viewing the violence causes the children to become more familiar with how to act out violence without consequences. In conclusion, violence in the media does cause children to behave aggressively. The media will not stop their approach in trying to make money; for that reason it is on the parents to monitor what their children watch and play. The way children behave starts in the home. Allowing them to watch violent movies or play violent video games is not encouraging positive behavior. Someone has to come in between the media and it is the parents. Assisting children in learning positive behavior will make the world a better place.
Works Cited
Cesarone, Bernard “Video Games and Children” http://www. kidsource. com/kidsource/content2/video. games. html. 8 Apr, 2012 Child Development Institute. ”Video Games and Children” http://www. childdevelopmentinfo. com/healthsafety/videogamesandchildrens. html 8 Apr, 2012 Ivory, James D. “Video Games and the Elusive Search for their Effects on Children: An assessment of Twenty Years of Research” http://www. unc. edu/~jivory/video. html. 8 Apr 2012
