Children and Violence on Television

Little Johnny, left to his own devices, decides to watch “The Sopranos” on television last night while little Sally played Grand Theft Auto video game. This morning, you receive a phone call from the school saying Johnny stabbed a classmate with a pencil and Sally took another child’s lunch money. Is the violence they witnessed on television and in video games last night responsible for their aggressive behavior today? Violence, drugs, and murders are common words heard daily in our rugged environment. Our society today has become increasingly violent with children exhibiting more aggressive behaviors. As if that alone is not scary enough, the age of the offender is becoming younger and younger. What influences children to commit violent criminal acts? Children who witness violence on television may become less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others, may become more fearful of the world around them and may be more likely to behave in an aggressive manner toward others. The first major effect of violence in television programs is that children may become less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others after witnessing violence on television or video games. This generation of children spends more hours in front of the television than any previous generation. However, over 50 percent of the prime-time shows depict some type of violence. With all of this violence shown during prime-time viewing hours, the child that watches this repeatedly becomes less aroused by the violent scenes. They begin to view this commonplace and become less bothered by violence overall. They are also slower to intervene or call for help when witnessing violent acts toward others. The second effect of violence on television is that children may become more fearful of the world they live in. Children may have difficulty separating real-life from what they watch on television. After viewing more than 20 violent acts each hour, and that is while watching children’s programming, children may begin to view the world as dangerous. Children begin to believe that what they see on television can or will happen to them or their family members. The third, and most important point researchers listed, is that children may become more aggressive toward others after watching violence depicted on television. Many studies have been conducted on this subject. But it doesn’t take a study to see the effects. Just watch children playing in the park or on a playground. The children that watched the violent shows were more likely to hit or argue with playmates, or disobey class rules. They are impatient and more likely to leave tasks uncompleted. No one knows for sure what causes children to commit violent acts. It may or may not be television programming or video games; but are you willing to take a chance with the life of a child? Would you be comfortable knowing that your child may become less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others, may become more fearful of the world around them and more aggressive towards others simply from watching a television show? One thing that is certain is that as a society we must do whatever it takes to curb this increasing violence.