Violence And Children Essay, Research Paper

If you turn on the television at around seven-o clock at night, you will see

plenty of violent shows. This violence on television affects the behavior of

children, causing their play to become more aggressive. American parents do not

exercise enough control over their child’s television viewing habits, often

using the television as a sort of electronic baby-sitter. Violence is everywhere

in the world of entertainment. Most of the movies in the theaters contain at

least a little bit of violence. Even the popular Star Wars series contains

violent content, such as murder, torture, and dismemberment. Television cartoons

also contain violence, such as Wyle E. Coyote getting run over by a truck and

getting up unhurt, that affects the way children behave. When I was a child, my

siblings and I watched about five to six of hours of television per week, but

from the beginning, our parents explained to us the difference between reality

and fantasy. We knew the real world was not the same as what we saw on

television and at the movies. In contrast, my cousins now watch about an average

of ten hours of television per week and their parents have not quite explained

this concept to them very well. They have not quite grasped the concept of

reality versus fantasy. I have four young cousins. Their ages are twelve, ten,

eight, and seven years old. During the day, the two younger ones watch several

hours of television. When the two older ones come home from school, they

immediately park themselves in front of the television for the next two hours.

Their younger brothers always join them. My cousins usually watch cartons that

have fighting scenes. Sometimes they try to mimic what they see. So, they start

fighting. At first, it is playful, after a while, the fighting gets a little

more serious. At this point, I usually hear one of my cousins crying because

someone hit him too hard. This happens almost every day. Their parents do not

seem to notice what effect these television shows have on their sons. My four

young cousins think that violence is the answer to all problems. For example, if

they do not get what they want from another sibling, they sometimes hit or

threaten to hit that sibling. They think that if they resort to violence, they

will always get their way. I know of several solutions that will help parent`s

control what and how much their child watches. First of all, they have to talk

with their child about what the difference between reality and fantasy is.

Understanding a childs grasp of reality versus fantasy will help parents decide

what shows he or she is mature enough to watch. Secondly, there are other

activities that a child should participate in besides watching television. For

example, parents should encourage them to take up new hobbies to occupy their

afternoons after they finish their homework. Children should also be encouraged

to do more reading instead of watching television at night. Reading helps to

expand a childs vocabulary and will help them do better in school. Thirdly,

parents should buy a television that has a v-chip installed into it. By around

the year 2000, most television will have this as a part of its standard feature.

The v-chip locks out certain channels or shows that contains violence. Only

parents can unlock this function by entering a special code. Some parents might

argue that they would not have time to monitor their childs viewing habits

because they work all day. Another argument might be that they do not have

enough money to buy a television that has a v-chip installed in it. Another

parent might argue about their child going over to their friend`s house to watch

something that they are not allowed to watch at home. How can they keep their

child from doing this? If I were a parent, I would be concerned about my childs

future. If a child is aggressive as a child they will mostly be very aggressive

as an adult. This is one reason why so many crimes are committed. Secondly, ever

adult has authority over their child no matter how old. It just depends on the

degree of authority. I think that children should not have too much freedom or

else they can end up doing something that is harmful to their bodies and their

minds. Watching too much violent shows on television does not help their

development as a person. Therefore, it is imperative that their parents exercise

their authority over their children`s television viewing habits.

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