Evidence and support for your claim - Essay Example

When talking about violence in media, advocates against violence state that they are pushing for more censorship in behalf of the youth. A study has shown that children who were non-violent showed a high level of brain activity similar to that of children with aggressive behavior. (Mathis, 2005) More research has to be conducted to ensure that the brain activity was a direct result of exposure to violent television shows. Nevertheless, theories on behavioral psychology explain that an individual’s behavior can be influenced by a number of things, one of which is through observance of the actions in his or her surroundings.

As a child, the individual tends to mimic what he or she sees from the adults around him. (Observation, 2005) Children usually imitate behavior and language from the people around them. This is how they start learning to communicate. As such, adults are often mindful of how they act and what they say whenever around very young children. This is also why parents have their kids watch educational children’s shows. They are in the frame of mind that their children will pick up the words and lessons from the said shows.

This way of thinking can also be applied when it comes to violent shows. By having children watch shows with gun-wielding teenagers, people fighting and individuals shouting foul words, media is sending a message that it is normal to act as violently. Media is reinforcing the notion that fighting is acceptable in society. It provides the young viewers role models who exhibit aggressive behavior. Producers of the show maintain that they cannot do away with action scenes and aggressive behavior as these will affect the quality of their shows.

They may say that it is the responsibility of the parents to supervise what their children are watching. Also, they may say that their shows are classified for adult viewers who know the difference