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Children and Television Violence?

 

I’ve always thought that violence on television would have an effect on viewers, but I never realized how much.

Children are so impressionable, so it seems they’re the televisions prime victim. While TV violence is not the only cause of aggressive or violent behavior, it is clearly a significant factor. The evidence was overwhelming through the research and long-term studies from very reputable organizations and doctors. I found there are many causes and effects that can be associated with violence on television, and also a lot of recommendations to use for our children, young family members, or children of friends.

 

Television seems like a good thing, preschoolers can get help learning the alphabet on public television, grade school age can learn about wildlife on nature shows, and parents can keep up with current events on the evening news. TV can be a great educator and entertainer if you watch with your child, but despite its advantages, too much television can be damaging. This amazing list of statistics was found through the National Center for Children Exposed to Violence. 

 

I consider myself a non-aggressive person and when I witness violent acts they bother me. So, I asked my mother if she monitored what I watched and how long I watched TV when I was young. Her reply was that she didn’t because she didn’t feel there wasn’t a need. She said there wasn’t as much violence on TV when I was young as there is now. Interestingly enough, I found a statistic in the ERIC Digest that confirmed what my mother told me. According to The National Association for the Education of Young Children air time for war cartoons increased from 1.5 hours per week in 1982 to 43 hours per week in 1986. In 1980, children's programs featured 18.6 violent acts per hour and now have about 26.4 violent acts each hour.

 

Many studies have been done to find the effects television has on children. American Psychological Association mentions in several studies, those who watched a violent program instead of a nonviolent one were slower to intervene or to call for help when, a little later, they saw younger children fighting or playing destructively. Children often behave differently after they've been watching violent programs on TV. In one study done at Pennsylvania State University, about 100 preschool children were observed both before and after watching television; some watched cartoons that had a lot of aggressive and violent acts in them, and others watched shows that didn't have any kind of violence. The researchers noticed real differences between the kids who watched the violent shows and those who watched nonviolent ones. The APA also stated that Leonard Eron, Ph.D., and his associates at the University of Illinois, found that children who watched many hours of TV violence when they were in elementary school tended to also show a higher level of aggressive behavior when they became teenagers. By observing these youngsters until they were 30 years old, Dr. Eron found that the ones who'd watched a lot of TV when they were eight years old were more likely to be arrested and prosecuted for criminal acts as adults. American Psychological Association's Task Force on Television and Society published a report that confirms this view. The report, entitled Big World, Small Screen: The Role of Television in American Society, shows that the harmful effects of TV violence do exist. American Psychological Association help center had a section titled Children and Television Violence that acknowledged Huesmann saying that age’s six to eight are very delicate and critical years in the development of children.

 

There are many areas of concern regarding the effects of television violence. Television can be a powerful influence in developing value systems and shaping behavior. Unfortunately, a good portion of today's television programming is violent. Children may become less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others (Desensitization). They may be more likely to behave in aggressive or harmful ways toward others. They may become more fearful of the world around them. For example, Children who view violent episodes, such as a kidnapping or murder, on the news are also more likely to believe that the world is scary and that something bad will happen to them. Children become "immune" to the horror of violence, and they gradually accept violence as a way to solve problems. They imitate the violence they observe on television; and identify with certain characters, victims and/or victimizers. The 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 that is frequently repeated or unpunished, are more likely to imitate what they see. The impact of TV violence may be immediately evident in the child's behavior or may surface years later, and young people can even be affected when the family atmosphere shows no tendency toward violence According to the AAP, there is a link between excessive TV watching and obesity. Children are inactive and tend to snack while watching TV, and they are bombarded with advertising messages that encourage them to eat unhealthy foods, such as potato chips and cookies, that often become preferred snack foods. Too much educational TV has the same indirect effect on children's health. Even if children are watching 4 hours of Sesame Street, they're not exercising, reading, socializing, or spending time outside. (Retrieved March 12, 2004)

 

Another factor on television is the music videos. Singing and music have always played an important role in learning and the communication of culture. Children learn from the role models what they see and hear. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry says most parents are concerned about what their young children see and hear, but as children grow older, parents pay less attention to the music and videos that hold their children's interest. A concern too many interested in the development and growth of teenagers is the negative and destructive themes of some rock and other kinds of music. Some are advocating and glamorizing abuse of drugs and alcohol. There are pictures and explicit lyrics presenting suicide as an "alternative" or "solution", graphic violence, and rituals in concerts. They also state they advertise sex which focuses on control, sadism, masochism, incest, children devaluing women, and violence toward women.

It’s explained in the article Children and Television Violence that children's ability to understand what they see on television improves as they mature. In combination with personal experiences, their knowledge of the world and their familiarity with television, children's cognitive development has a significant impact on their ability to interpret what they see on TV and the way they respond to what they see. Young children (3-7) make judgments based upon appearance, while older children (8-12) are able to look beyond image to determine motives and feelings. Second, young children have difficulty distinguishing fantasy from reality, while older children are able to make that distinction. Young children have trouble following plots and integrating the information communicated by television programs, while older children are able to use both explicit and implicit information in a program to link scenes together. Due to these differences, younger and older children often interpret the same television content quite differently. For children, making the distinction between fantasy and reality in television programs is not a simple process. In fact, studies have found that children's judgment of television realism is multidimensional - informed by contextual cues such as program genre and production techniques as well as their knowledge of physical and social reality. Very young children, who are unable to readily make the distinction between fantasy and reality, tend to believe that everything they see on TV is real. The images children absorb also can leave them traumatized and vulnerable. According to research, children ages 2 to 7 are particularly frightened by fantastic, scary-looking things like grotesque monsters. Simply telling children that those images aren't real won't console them because they can't yet distinguish between fantasy and reality. However, research indicates that for young children, the timing of the punishment is critical. When the commission of violent acts on television is separated from the punishment for those acts, young children are unable to connect the two events. While an older child would understand that the person who shoots someone at the beginning of a program is the same person who is jailed at the end, a young child may be left with the impression that the violent actions are not penalized. Children ages 8 to 12 are frightened by the threat of violence, natural disasters, and the victimization of children, whether those images appear in fiction or on the news or reality-based shows. Reasoning with children this age will help them, so we should provide reassuring and honest information to help ease a child's fears.

While most scientists are convinced that children can learn aggressive behavior from television, they also point out that parents and adults have tremendous power to moderate that influence. Because there is a great deal of violence in both adult and children's programming, just limiting the number of hours children watch television will probably reduce the amount of aggression they see. Parents or adults should watch at least one episode of the programs their children watch. That way they'll know what their children are watching and be able to talk about it with them. When they see a violent incident, it can be discussed with the child, and what caused the character to act in a violent way. It should also be pointed out that this kind of behavior is not characteristic, not the way adults usually solve their problems. Point out that although the actor has not actually been hurt or killed such violence in real life results in pain or death. Children can be asked to talk about other ways the character could have reacted, or other nonviolent solutions to the character's problem. A stop can be put to any programs that are found too offensive. To offset peer pressure among friends and classmates, contact other parents and see if they will agree to enforce similar rules about the length of time and type of program the children may watch. They can also restrict their children's viewing to shows that they feel are more beneficial, such as documentaries, educational shows and so on. Parents can limit the amount of time children spend watching television, and encourage children to spend their time on sports, hobbies, or with friends; parents and kids can even draw up a list of other enjoyable activities to do instead of watching TV. Parents can encourage their children to watch programs that demonstrate helping, caring and cooperation. Studies show that these types of programs can influence children to become more kind and considerate.

To help you teach our children good television viewing habits, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has developed the following guidelines. Know how much TV a child watches, and don't hesitate to reduce this time. Many children won't easily give up TV watching, but the AAP recommends that parents limit their children's viewing to 1 or 2 hours a day at the most. As a parent, you should set a good example by limiting your own television viewing. Minimize the influence of TV in your home, and make it a practice to keep the TV off during family mealtimes. Avoid having television sets in individual bedrooms since this tends to physically isolate family members and minimize family interaction. Use a VCR to tape programs or show rented movies. Many local libraries and video stores carry educational material. Plan viewing in advance and approach TV as you would a movie. Use a TV guide or newspaper to decide which shows to watch. Furthermore, use a TV rating system to determine shows appropriate for family viewing. Turn the set on for these programs only, and turn the set off and discuss programs when they're over. Use the VCR to tape shows of special importance and to eliminate commercials. Don't use TV to reward or punish your child. Practices like this make TV seem even more important to children. Watch with, and help children interpret what they see on TV by watching along with them. Use TV to express your feelings about difficult topics (sex, love, work, behavior, family life) and to explain confusing situations. Teach children to question and learn from what they view. Provide alternatives, because parents are responsible for how much television their children watch. Encourage both indoor and outdoor activities for your child: field trips, games, sports, hobbies, reading, and chores. Exercise is extremely important for children. Designate certain evenings for special family activities. Lastly, practice what you preach. Don't expect a child to have self-discipline when it comes to television viewing if you don't. Set a good example for your child by spending your free time reading, exercising, talking, cooking, or in other endeavors instead of watching TV.

The amount of time children watch TV, regardless of content, should be moderated. But just as TV can teach children aggression, it can also impart important lessons about the damage violence does to individuals, families and society. Likewise, TV can spotlight and validate non-violent means of resolving conflicts. I’ve always encouraged educational programs in our house and also frequently turn off the television. It seems though according to my research I don’t turn it off enough. I’ve already begun lengthening the fun activates we enjoy. Such as playing outside, reading, baking, working on crafts, or listening and dancing to music. The possibilities for fun without the television are endless, and we’ll be enjoying the quality time we’ll be spending together!

 

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References

 

Children and Television Violence  Retrieved March  12,   2004.  American Psychological
     Association help center.  http://helping.apa.org/family/kidtvviol.html

 

 

Children and Television Violence.  Winter 1998.  Children Now
     http://www.childrennow.org/media/medianow/mnwinter1998.html

 


CHILDREN ANDTV VIOLENCE.  April, 1999.  American Academy of Child and
     Adolescent Psychiatry  http://www.aacap.org/publications/factsfam/violence.htm

Children and TV Violence .  Retrieved March  12,   2004. 
     http://www.parenthood.com/articles.html?article_id=247

 

INFLUENCE OF MUSIC AND MUSIC VIDEOS, THE.   May 2000.  American   

     Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 

.http://www.aacap.org/publications/factsfam/violence.htm

 

Smith, Marilyn E.   Television Violence and Behavior: A Research Summary. ERIC    

     Digest.  December 1993.  ERIC, The educational Resources Information Center. 

http://www.ericfacility.net/ericdigests/ed366329.html

Violence in the Media   Retrieved March 14, 2004.  National Center for Children  
     Exposed to Violence (NCCEV)  http://www.nccev.org/violence/statistics/statistics-media.html

Violence on Television - What do Children Learn? What Can Parents Do?   Retrieved
     March  12, 2004.  American Psychological Association.  http://www.apa.org/pubinfo/violence.html

 

Complete research statistics (adobe PDF)

http://www.apa.org/journals/dev/press_releases/march_2003/dev392201.pdf

 

 

 

 

Written by:

Jennifer Sina

Owner/Creator  of SimplyFamiles

 

 

 

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