How Violent Media Hurts Kids - Essay Example

s Violent media can hurt kids more than teach them something Children form part of the important segment of the society and they are the future of any country. The question in this case is whether violent media can hurt kids more than it has the capacity to teach them something. This paper establishes that violent media has a higher capacity to hurt kids in a greater capacity than it can teach then positive ideologies. The votaries of media, who are interested in increasing their circulation and popularity, will argue against this conclusion. They need the support of children for future programs aimed at business expansion, in order to make profits. For every argument, there is a counter argument and fresh set of arguments can be tendered over counter argument. However, the issue is related to children. Thus, it is necessary to look beyond the selfish desire to gain profits at the expense of the mental health of children. This paper will prove that children need protection from the cloud of negativities hovering over their future due to much violence unleashed through media. The article by Gerald Jones will be used as the thought to disprove. Media magnates should remember that they are dealing with children with tender hearts and the children believe in what media broadcast through the TV channels. They generally get impressed by the attractive presentations. Poor children do not realize that they are the victims of clever manipulations and men and women they see on the screen get hefty payments for seeking approval of their products, which depict violence, and make the parents go to the shopping malls to buy such toys; or persuade them to buy the product of your choice in web. Children are early learners, and bad things are absorbed by them fast. Media creates tremendous impact on the minds of the children and viewing violent episodes creates deep fissures in their minds. “We tell our kids that it isnt nice to play-fight, or we steer them from some monstrous action figure to a pro-social doll” (Jones 377). Parents do not realize that they have committed a mistake the effects of which would perhaps be irreversible in the life of their children. The toughest issues of today are violence-related. Another tough issue is raising children. The complex world of challenges has made the parents anxiety-ridden. Children of ages 8-12 put questions to their parents on all sorts of issues. They see violent scenes in the movies, television shows, and photos of violent incidents in the newspapers, scenes of police brutalities, and the violence in their school environment committed by the students for whom bullying is the habit. Their mind gets perplexed due to such exposures and they do not know how to react. Either they become aggressive and retaliate or they develop fear psychosis and feel frightened, insecure, and unsafe. They may even refuse to go to the school. In such cases, the parents should not neglect the situation and accompany the child to the school, find out the root cause of violence and tackle the situation in a peaceful manner by taking assistance from the school administrators. Parents are the first arbitrators for any complicated situations the children face in school or in the neighborhood (Olson). Parents are, certainly, the most important people in the life of children and they will listen to their advices more than, to what they hear on TV. Parents need to develop open communication with the children, encourage and support, provide positive reinforcements and save them from being exposed to negativities. They should never try to outsmart the children with dishonest or evasive replies. When they find out the truth about the issue, they will have poor opinion about your honesty. In the next opportune moment, they may not trust parents at all even if they give the correct information to them. It is necessary to talk to them repeatedly, lovingly and in a persuasive manner. What happens when children are exposed to negative side of life? The following: “the dual-identity concept at the heart of many superhero stories helps kids negotiate the conflicts between the inner self and the public self as they work through the early stages of socialization” (Jones 374). Let children talk and let parents listen; then on contrary parents should advice and children should feel free to ask question. Children feel better when they find an outlet to unburden their suppressed feelings of fear. If a child is involved in a violent incident, for which he may be responsible wholly or partially, there is every chance that he may try to hide the incident from his parents and at the same time, he may be depressed, angry and feel persecuted. At that juncture, the parents must intervene to sort out the issue. It is necessary to avoid punishment, or angry outbursts, even when the parents know that their child is guilty. They are not on a faultfinding mission. They are there to guide the child by tendering advice appropriate to the occasion, so that such incidents are not repeated by him. Finally, when the things are cooled down, it is essential to ask him about the source of his inspiration for the unpleasant happening. Probably, it must be a violent scene from a TV serial, an episode from a crime movie, a detective novel, or a reporting in the newspaper related to unpleasant incidents (Rhee & Waldman). More or less, there is a unanimous agreement that exposure to lots of violence in media can be dangerous for the mental wellbeing of the children. Physically also they may develop aggressive tendencies and take to false confidence about their ability to fight out any precarious situations they may encounter. They may consider that to be submissive and seek peaceful solutions is the trait of the weakling. Each child would like to live the life from the position of strength and domination. Recurring view of violence ridden scenes on TV serials, movies or through video games may desensitize the children to violence and when a violent man wins, they may even think that violence is a commendable virtue and a violent man has chances of winning in life and this world is not the place for a timid and non-violent individual. As such, parents need to intervene to choose the appropriate media for children. It is necessary to be available to children, have the time for them, develop a habit of watching certain programs together, and utilize the time to engage in productive discussion with them. Parents should let children share their views freely first, and then introduce the corrective measures if necessary. It is essential to explain why violent movies disturb and why they are harmful to them as well. They should understand that violence is no fun. Rage against the wrong doings is good, but according to the author, “rage is also the emotion our culture distrusts the most. Most of us are taught early on to fear our own” (Jones 374). The author in this case tries to link the idea of rage and personal fears, in which case people need to avoid rage as they were taught throughout life. Nevertheless, metalized rage can be counter-productive as well. What happens when a wrong role model is followed? One can learn from this example: “Suddenly I had a fantasy self to carry my stifled rage and buried desire for power. I had a fantasy self who was a self: unafraid of his desires and the worlds disapproval, unhesitating and effective in action. "Puny boy follow Hulk!" roared my fantasy self and I followed” (Jones 373). This quote shows a dangerous situation for any youngster, who in all probability will reach the point of no return in life, if wrong ideals are pursued, thinking that desperate situations need desperate remedies. When the child loses the track of reason, it is the beginning of negative consequences one after another (Trend). The prevailing environment and the reporting of the incidents like those took place in Colorado and Georgia shake the confidence of the children, parents and even the college authorities. The perpetrators of those crimes were also youngsters. The question is not about arresting and booking the culprits. The main question is why such incidents happen. The society is looking for something for which the parents, the politicians, the economists, the religious leaders, the media magnets, the role models, the movie actors and actresses, the marketing executives, the education system etc. must share the blame equally. All these forces are responsible for making the children directionless and aimless and lead to the conclusion that violence is not a bad option to solve the issues. Perhaps, it is only solution, as per the thinking process of the modern combustible younger generation (Sherry). As such, violent media can hurt kids more than teach them something. The parents need to take a firm stand and stay clear about the values, which they would like to instill in their children. Children need to be tackled with firmness and love. Let them understand that you are working for their advantage and that you have no self-interest, except their genuine welfare. You have a right to teach then and are responsible for their future. “It’s my life” may be a good song, but is bad in practice. Every of us is a part of the family, part of the community, and part of the country. Everybody seeks peace and when children commit violent acts, the whole nation is in danger. Works Cited Jones, Gerald. Violent Media is good for Kids. Mother Jones, 2000. Web. April 17, 2014 Olson, C. Media violence research and youth violence data: Why do they conflict? Academic Psychiatry, 2004, 28, 144–150. Rhee, S., & Waldman, I. Genetic and environmental influences on antisocial behavior: A meta- analysis of twin and adoption studies. Psychological Bulletin, 2002 128, 490–529 Sherry, J. Violent video games and aggression: Why can’t we find links? In R. Preiss, B. Gayle, N. Burrell, M. Allen, & J. Bryant (Eds.), Mass media effects research: Advances through meta-analysis (pp. 231–248). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 2007 Trend, D. The myth of media violence. Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2007 Read More