Children And TV Violence (CON) Essay, Research Paper

Children and TV Violence

Violence on television is harmful and damaging to children?s minds. Most children watch 21-23 of television per week, and 3 to 5 violent acts per hour (?Media Violence (RE9526)? 1). The age in which television violence starts to affect children is when they are 3 years old (Smith 2). Just as soon as they reach their mid-teens they will have seen over thousands of violent incidents and deaths in cartoons and with real people (Gonzalez 1). The most harmful violence on television was seen in cartoons (Shifrin 2). Reading practice by children is being replaced by television watching. The visual effects on television cause the child to not comprehend with in-depth reading (Healy 1-2).

Violence on television affects children who watch it. Children will tend to be not sympathetic to people, scared of the world around them, and will be more aggressive compared to children who don?t watch violence on television (?Educational Television? 2). The APA (American Psychological Association) informed broadcasters and the public of the dangers for children of television violence. Studies show that kids that watched many hours of TV violence as a child will show more aggression when they are teenagers. Along with getting arrested and prosecuted for criminal acts when they become adults (?Violence on Television? 2). Children mock what they view on television and carry behaviors to their adulthood (Bridges 1). ??Entertainment television is too violent?that this is harmful to society?that we as a society have become desensitized to violence? (Smith 1).

Children that watch TV violence will have problems with learning in school, they will be slower in learning (?How TV Affects Your Child? 1). Children that have lower intelligence in school watch more violent television or believe violent television copies real life (Smith 3). It also

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deprives the brain of many experiences and will impact mental and emotional growth. Soon afterwards children will then lose opportunities to make friends, play games, and will not learn how to solve their own problems (Healy 1). Elementary students are more likely to stay up later to watch adult programs, this will cause them to lose sleep and therefore be tired at school (?Parents and childrens? opinion on the effects of television viewing? 6).

Most children do what they see on television and this is a major reason why violent crime rates are increasing (Bridges 178). Preschoolers concentrate on television more than toddlers and they can?t contrast fantasy and reality (?Parents and children? 6). The more real the violence looks the higher possibility of it to be learner. The images on television can make a kid mentally damaged and defenseless (How TV Affects Your Child 1). ?They will quickly learn that violence is an acceptable solution to resolving even complex problems, particularity if the aggressor is the hero? (?Media Violence? 1). The aggressor on television is frequently rewarded for the violence, which makes the children think they want to be the aggressor to get gifts or rewards (Gonzalez 2).

The National Cable Television Association made a three-year study of television violence. It reported that sixty-percent of the sampled programs had violent scenes in them. The study warned parents to know that television violence effects children and children pick up aggressive attitudes and behaviors (Shifrin 3). Another study titled ?Big World, Small Screen: The Role of Television in American Society? displays the harmful effects of television violence are real (?Violence on Television? 2). There is a connection between television violence and aggressive behavior. The majority of 3,000 researches performed say the children that watch television violence will show attitudes and behaviors that the television shows (Smith 2). ?Viewers could learn aggressive attitudes and behavior from watching violence, become desensitized to the seriousness of violence, and become frightened of becoming a victim of real-life violence? (Shifrin 1). Furthermore a study was done and the results were that the children acted different from those

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who watched violent cartoons then ones that watched non-violent cartoons (?Violence on Television? 3)

Most children learn from their parents that it is not proper to hit but television says it is okay to do it if you are the good guy (How TV Affects Your Child 1). Many violent incidents that have occurred during school have been linked to television violence and other media violence. The event when the boys planted bombs in the school and shot classmates was proved to have been the boys? obsession of a violent movie and computer game (Gonzalez 1). Even though video games are more graphic than television, children spend more of their time watching TV (?Media Violence? 1). Fifty-three percent of surveyed people said that violence on television, films, books, and in newspapers make people do something violent (Parents and children 7). As a result of violence on television crimes including rape, homicide, and assault happen more often (Bridges 1).

Bridges, Robert Stone ?Does Viewing Television Increase a Child?s Aggression??

March 17, 1997. [ONLINE]

http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/r/s/rsb151/works/aggression.html

?Educational Television? [ONLINE]

March 1996

http://working2.edusource.com/edutv.asp

Gonzalez, Mona

?Does Television affect children?? Saturday Special (May 15, 1999) [ONLINE]

http://www.inquirer.net/Saturday/may99wks/spc_10.htm

Healy, Jane M. Ph.D.

?Understanding TV?s effects on developing brain? [ONLINE]

http://www.aap.org/advocacy/chm98nws.htm

?How TV affects your child? [ONLINE]

Kids Health

http://www.kidshealth.org/paren/positive/family/tv_affects_child_prt.htm

?Media Violence (RE9526)? [ONLINE]

American Academy of Pediatrics

http://aap.org/policy/00830.html

?Parents and Children?s opinion on the effects of television viewing? [ONLINE]

http://www.media-awareness.ca/eng/issues/stats/issvio.htm#parentsandchildrens?opinionontheeffectsoftelevisionwiewing

Shifrin, Donald M.D, FAAP

?Three year study documents; Nature of Television Violence? [ONLINE]

http://www.aap.org/advocacy/shrifin898.htm

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Smith, Marilyn E.

?Television Violence and Behavior: A Research Summary? [ONLINE]

http://www.uncg.edu/edu/ericcass/violence/digests/ed366329.htm

?Violence on Television? [ONLINE]

APA Public Communications

http://www.apa.org/pubinfo/violence.htm