Violent Movies and Children - Essay Example

Nam Violent Movies and Children: A Lethal Combination Sometime in the 80s, when Scary movie or Bogeyman was yet unknown, children were exposed to media which were already considered violent. In relation to this, researchers Mcgunteer and Alleer observed children who watched Power Rangers. Their main goal was to assert their claim that children who watched violent television programs manifested aggressive behavior. The observations stated that: Fifty-two elementary-school girls and boys, aged between 5 and 11 years were randomly assigned either to watch an episode of Power Rangers or to a control group which did not see the episode. All the children were observed both before and after the program while playing in their classroom. The researchers reported that children who had watched the Power Rangers episode exhibited a greater number of aggressive acts the next day at play than did children who had not been shown the episode. Indeed, children who had watched the episode committed seven times as many actions classed as aggressive as did the other children. (p.104) Because of the TV program’s popularity ,it even became a movie. For the last three decades , this seminal study paved way to numerous studies that tried to establish the influence of media on children. The studies conducted were of different varieties: cross-sectional, longitudinal and experimental( Gentile et.al 5). Sadly, the studies confirmed that there is a strong correlation between mass media and aggressive behavior among children. Foremost among mass media types that have a high influence on children’s behavior are movies. Movies in Television Shows: Breeding Ground for Agression Watching movies is a favorite activity of most people. Movies can educate, entertain, stimulate bonding sessions with friends, and influence people’s thinking. Before, people watch movies on theatres or buy vcds for home viewing which entails expenses. Today, movies can easily be viewed by watching cable television programs. In fact , almost all homes in America have television sets. Aside from this, the television sets are not only found in the living room but in children’s bedroom as well. Situations like these presents moral danger to young children since their parents are unable to supervise the programs they watch in the confines of their room. Most of the time, parents leave their children at home and regard the television as a nanny substitute since it hold the attention of the young viewers. To illustrate this fact, an article published in American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry claimed that : Children watch approximately 28 hours of television a week, more time than they spend in school. The typical American child will view more than 200,000 acts of violence, including more than 16,000 murders before age 18. Television programs display 812 violent acts per hour; childrens programming, particularly cartoons, displays up to 20 violent acts hourly ( Beresin 1 ). Television programs such as Space Jam or Star Wars ( which later became a series) do not encourage peaceful behavior. Rather, violence is resorted to as a means of keeping peace. Violence can also used as a means for keeping peace or justice. For example, Space Jam does not promote ethical behavior in sport’s activities; rather, it encourages players to compete unfairly to win. Star Wars also use violence to maintain peace in the intergalactic system. For some, these shows are harmless since they merely entertain children, however, when the principles are acted in real life situations the children can get disoriented. The aforementioned case of the Power Rangers is serious since children do not recognize the fact that they can inflict harm to others. Also, not children are not aware that they themselves can be hurt when engaging in physical fights to act out scenes from their favorite TV program. The heroes are ideal “symbols” for young children often linked with invulnerability. Also, heroes are often winners in a fight but young children cannot comprehend that actual fights can cost limb or even life. The only thing that children know is that “bad guys” should be eliminated at all cost. There is no due process and a hero cum vigilante takes justice in his own hands. Such is the burden of Batman or Superman. The latest edition of Batman ( Dark Knight ) showed a very psychotic Joker who was an embodiment of violent and disturbed person. Even adults felt the chills watching this movie. The conflicts are generalized as battle of “good vs. evil” and nothing else. In 1998, Smith and Donnerstein published their analysis of the National Television Violence Survey, these are the findings: 61 percent of television programs contain some violence, and only 4 percent of television programs with violent content feature an "antiviolence" theme. 44 percent of the violent interactions on television involve perpetrators who have some attractive qualities worthy of emulation. 43 percent of violent scenes involve humor either directed at the violence or used by characters involved with violence. Nearly 75 percent of violent scenes on television feature no immediate punishment for or condemnation of violence. 40 percent of programs feature "bad" characters who are never or rarely punished for their aggressive actions.( p.170) The findings are very alarming since this shows how rampant violent programs are. Parents are agitated by the survey results since strict monitoring is their primary concern. If theses situation goes unchecked, children would be desensitized and get used to seeing violence in a casual manner. Lt. Col. David Grossman was correct when he said that : Violence is like the nicotine in cigarettes.  The reason why the media has to pump ever more violence into us is because weve built up a tolerance.  In order to get the same high, we need ever-higher levels… The television industry has gained its market share through an addictive and toxic ingredient." ( qtd. from parentstv.org) Another important study was done by Christakis and Zimmerman that was published in Pediatrics Journal in November 2007. It argued that “( a) clear link was found between pre-school age boys who watched violent programs and their later development of anti-social and aggressive behaviors at ages 7 to 9. There was no such correlation found for girls” (qtd in seattlechildren’s.org). The study explicitly asserts that violent actions shown to young children is a precursor to violent behavior later. It is a very scary but very true fact that society must deal with. Horrified Children : Effect of Violence in Horror Movies When Jason of Halloween ( Friday the 13th) appears on-screen, adults and children alike fidget on their seats and scream. However, adults move on to their usual life after the movie and their fears are only revived when the next sequel comes. Unfortunately, this is not the case for young children. The children suffer emotionally from viewing horror movies. The ScienceDaily in 2006 reported that movies such as Friday the 13th elicit very negative emotional behaviors from children. The article revealed that the study was funded by the National Institute on Mental Health ( NIMH) for the purpose of investigating the effects of violent movies ( horror) to young children. The study was led by Dr. Daniel S. Schechter, who is director of the Infant-Family Service at Morgan Stanley Childrens Hospital and assistant professor of clinical psychiatry (in pediatrics) at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and the New York State Psychiatric Institute. Dr. Schecther asserted that “"Watching Friday the 13th with your child is probably not a good idea. Children under the age of 5 may be too young to actually watch and understand violent movies; however, they are psychologically affected by the scenes they are exposed to” (ScienceDaily.com). This emotional disturbance can lead to nightmares and make the child afraid of the dark. Some decades ago, movies were given ratings so that parents can be guided in choosing movies for their children; however, technology has changed the landscape when it comes to having access to movies. The main issue in the showing of violent movies is that it is hard to restrict nowadays since movies are very accessible courtesy of technology. Cable TV run movies on a 24 hour basis and parents are not up all the time to supervise children. Even very young children can operate the television on their own. A change in channel can immediately exposed them to sensitive scenes such as stabbing, disembowelment or beheading. In fact, young people are even excited to see violent movies and anticipating bloody ones such as the “Ninja Assassin”. The Internet is also a culprit in promoting violence in mass media since movies can be downloaded at some sites. Clips of movies are also shown in YouTube which defeats the purpose of screening. Definitely, parents cannot be present 24 hours to monitor their children especially when they are with their peers in another place . Conclusion Watching movies have been a favorite pastime of most people. It can entertain, educate and promote socialization. However, violent movies especially when viewed by younger children has no merits at all. It either leads to aggressive behavior or cause emotional distress to its viewers. Although movies have ratings, parents should be more participative in restricting children to watch violent movies since technology can make movies very accessible through Internet. Along with parents, educators, policy makers and pediatricians should be more assertive in educating the children about the negative effects of watching violent movies. As the African proverb says “ It takes a village to raise a child’. References: Beresin, E. The Impact of Media Violence on Children and Adolescents: Opportunities for Clinical Interventions. American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.2009.retrieved on Dec 1 2009 on http://www.aacap.org/cs root/ developmentor/the_impact_of_media_violence_on_children_and_adolescents_opportunities_for_clinical_interventions. Emotional Problems In Young Children. ScienceDaily. Retrieved December 1, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2006/10/061031113446.htm Gentile D. ,Walsh D. Ellison P., Fox M., Cameron J. Media violence as a risk factor for children: A longitudinal study.Paper presented at the American Psychological Society 16th Annual Convention,Chicago, Illinois (May, 2004) Gunter, B. & McAleer, J. (1997). Children and Television (second edition), Routledge: London, p.104 Its Just Harmless Entertainment" Oh really? Parentstv.org. 2009. Retrieved Dec1,2009 from http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/facts/mediafacts.asp Smith, S. L., & Donnerstein, E. (1998). Harmful effects of exposure to media violence: Learning of aggression, emotional desensitization, and fear. In R. G. Geen & E. Donnerstein (Eds.), Human aggression: Theories, research, and implications for social policy (pp. 167-202). New York: Academic Press. Watching Violent TV at Pre-School Age Linked to Aggression in Young Boys Nov. 5, 2007. Retrieved on Dec 1 2009 from http://www.seattlechildrens.org /media /press-release/2007/11/002904/. Read More