Media Violence and Children

Introduction

This generation is being raised in a world so full of technology that often it is hard for anyone to keep track of it. As parents try to keep up with the fast-paced world, many rely on television as a babysitter. Their children see violent behaviors and misconduct. Some of the programs are not good for a child since what is seen can desensitize them to abusive behavior in everyday life. Parents have an important role in helping children understand what is seen in the media. Opting for more pro-social programs and explaining about emotions involved is something parents and caregivers can do.

Discussion

There have been studies done of how violence on shows affects children. It is wondered if violence on television has lasting effects. If too much violence is seen by children, they seem to become unaffected by it in later years. It teaches the child that violent and aggressive actions are the ways to solve problems. In the article “Aggression; The impact of media violence” the author Sissela Bok discussed that the relationship between media violence and societal violence increased in the last decade. The author found through research that a child viewing violence at a young age could influence aggressive tendencies at a later age (Bok, 225).

Preschoolers are still interested in vibrant content although development of finding meanings in what is watch start around this age group. Young ones can miss the subtle clues about why the violence is happening and later attempt to play out the aggressive behavior. At this time, consequences for abusive actions on television may not be realized. Elementary school children begin to develop an ability to follow a plot in a show. Though this is possible, it is not normally what is going on. Many times these children are not ...