Violence in Media and Its Impact on Children

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Violence in Media and Its Impact on Children

Media violence has been a growing concern for many decades. Most concerns revolve around how it may affect children. Such fears are valid, because of issues, such as school shooting, violent conflicts between minors and physical bullying, are still relevant to this day. Unsurprisingly, people are questioning whether a childs interest in violent movies or shows could be somehow related to their negative behavior, if it is prevalent.

The problem of this issue is that the effect of violent media on children is a rather ambiguous topic. Some believe that it is not the cause, while others see a connection between such content and a childs aggressive behavior. Past research has shown that witnessing someone perform violent actions encourages children to play similarly (Psychology Today). This implies that the children had become ignorant to the negative nature of their actions.

Another research, which was conducted over half a century later, has demonstrated more unsettling details on the matter. It differentiated between the children who had previously watched a movie with gun footage and those who hadnt. The playroom of the experiment had a gun hidden in the closet cabinet, which was found by most of the children (Psychology Today). As a result, the ones who had watched the movie were more likely to pull the trigger than the ones who had not. What makes the research even more concerning is that children have trouble differentiating between real and toy guns. This emphasizes the concern surrounding offsprings and violence in media.

However, some people find this discussion to contain more nuance than one might assume. They believe that the cause of a childs aggressive behavior lies more in the combination of being exposed to various kinds of violence, including certain risk factors. The perception depends on the childs age, sensitivities and environment as well (HuffPost). This implies that children need parental guidance after having watched such content, so as to avoid possible negative effects.

Nonetheless, even the opposing side acknowledges the underlying factors in their viewpoint. Witnessing violent media very frequently may desensitize children to the idea of violence. According to a research by the Annenberg Public Policy Center, the parents who consumed such content were more likely to support younger children watching media with higher age ratings (Common Sense Media). It is important to note that while it is impossible to completely avoid violence in media, there are some works that do not contain it and may be suitable and interesting for children to watch. Thus, it will be easier to expose children to harsher sides of life when they are old enough to handle it.

In conclusion, it is not surprising that children being exposed to violent media and its effect on them are a prevalent concern. One research has shown that children were more likely to play aggressively after being exposed to such behavior in media. A more recent study has demonstrated that the children who watched a movie with gun footage were more likely to pull the trigger of the modified gun than the ones who did not. While the opposing side believes that this topic is far more complex, they acknowledge that there are some concerning factors. Children may be desensitized to the idea of violence and may not be old enough to consume such media properly. Thus, offsprings need parental guidance for them to properly understand this issue.

Works Cited

Common Sense Media. Heres How Different Types Of Violence In Movies Affect Kids. HuffPost, 2019. Web.

Common Sense Media. Whats the Impact of Media Violence on Kids? Common Sense Media, 2020.

LoBue, Vanessa. Violent Media and Aggressive Behavior in Children. Psychology Today, 2018. Web.

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