Are the effects of watching television violence brief or long-lasting? Is television as crucial a factor in fostering societal violence as economic poverty, poor schools and broken homes? Is it really possible or desirable to manage kids' exposure to a cultural environment that can never be entirely beneficial or benign? Despite the large, ongoing body of research on this issue, it is difficult to reach solid conclusions. It seems that violence on television does contribute to aggressive behavior, yet it is important to note that television is only one of many causes of aggression (Gunter and McAleer, 1990)
Instead, it is something that will continue to grow, and the only way to avoid this is to take measures to stop it now. Studies have indicated that watching more than three hours of television every day during adolescence contributes to more aggressive behavior during adulthood (Blakey, 2002)
Instead, the worst kind of violence seems to be violence that is rewarded somehow as being justified. When it is seen in a positive light, it makes it appear as though there are types of violence that are acceptable and even appreciated, which can easily give young and impressionable children the wrong idea (Dittmann, 2003)
Unfortunately, not that many parents and educators are aware of what else can be done to help, and therefore television violence continues to grow. This can also lead to the idea that violence in the real world is increasing and that people are in more danger, regardless of what the actual facts are (Gerbner, 1994)
The third issue, however, is fear. When individuals are exposed to a great deal of television violence, they often perceive their chances of becoming a victim as much higher than they really are, and therefore they are uncomfortable in many areas and setting that should not really be a problem for them (Murray, 2001)
Over 50% of children also have a television in their bedroom. Various countries that have been studied have shown that homicides doubled within 10 to 15 years of the introduction of television, which would indicate that the violence that is seen on it has to play some part in the violence that is seen in society as well (Nisbett, 2005)
When it is seen in a positive light, it makes it appear as though there are types of violence that are acceptable and even appreciated, which can easily give young and impressionable children the wrong idea (Dittmann, 2003). Two of the most important things that the industry is doing now is making sure that all television programs are rated, and using v-chips to keep children from seeing programs that contain violence (Szaflik, 2000)
There are arguments as to whether lab experiments are valid, but when looking at a meta-analysis, and they all indicate that violence on TV has a negative effect, it's believable. Reason THREE: An article in the peer-reviewed Psychological Science in the Public Interest asserts that based on "unequivocal evidence" it can be stated that "frequent exposure" to violence on television in childhood is linked with "aggression later in life" (Anderson, et al
The bottom line for Reason ONE: children of all ages are "regularly confronted with highly dist4ressing and violent accounts of murders, catastrophic accidents, war, and other suffering," and this leads to heightened levels of "aggression…fright reactions, fear of the world as a scary place, and desensitization" (van der Molen, 1772). Reason TWO: When tested in laboratories, individuals (not just children) do "tend to behave more aggressively than do subjects in control groups" (Felson, 1996, p
622). Reason FIVE: An article in the Journal of Advertising suggests five alternatives to prevent kids from becoming aggressive through TV watching: a) parents should prepare kids to cope with advertising; b) regulate ads and programs aimed at kids; c) get parents more involved; d) work with advertisers and media companies to bring more wholesome programming; and e) have media companies "self-regulate" their programming (Walsh, et al
Recent surveys show that there is an "extensive presence of violence in modern media," and many children and adolescents spent "an inordinate amount of time consuming violent media," which, according to the empirical research, leads to aggressive behaviors later in life for children (Anderson, 81). Reason FOUR: When 350 parents completed questionnaires about their children's television watching habits, it was found that TV watching habits of parents "…had an influence on those of their children" (Yalcin, et al
Children and Television Violence in American society is a public health problem, according to author W. James Potter, who researched hundreds of existing empirical studies about violence (Potter, 1999, p
Evidence is presented in an article titled "Body Dissatisfaction and Patterns of Media Use Among Preadolescent Children" that boys and girls determine to some degree how their bodies should look from watching television. The authors' empirical research indicates that "body dissatisfaction and concern with weight" actually develop before a child reaches age 7 in Western societies (Jung, et al
What they watch during those hours are "large doses of violence and sex" (Van Hoose). Poor fitness and obesity among children are serious issues for families and communities, and an article in the journal Behavior Modification points to children's use of media (including video games, phones, Internet and television) as a "primary contributor" to those health problems (Larwin, et al
The result of studies like this show that television images (of thin pretty characters) can cause girls to potentially develop eating disorders, a dangerous and unproductive dynamic for parents and communities. Beyond the issues of violence and weight, television also has a potentially negative impact on a child's literacy, according to an article in the Journal of Early Childhood Literacy (Moses 2008)
Researchers were already conducting a great deal of research work in the 1980s. In a 1983 article in the NASSP (National Association of Secondary School Principals) Bulletin the writers claim too much television "retards the language development of viewers who are middle level age and older" (Van Hoose, et al