How Kids Are Affected by Media Portrayed in Media - Essay Example

The Long Term Effects of Media Violence on Children Introduction Violent acts have been played out in a variety of children’s media for decades. Comic books published in the 1930s depicted heroes like Superman fending off violent attacks from villains intent on destroying humanity. Early television cartoons saw Popeye beating Brutus to a pulp in order to win the affections of Olive Oil and Fred smashing Barney over the head with a wooden club to make him tow the line. Today, however, the dynamics of violence in the media has changed dramatically. Children in primary school see violence every day when they access school computers; the Internet has brought violent activity into hundreds of millions of homes with the click of a mouse; video games allow young people to actually participate in violent acts within the confines of their bedrooms often without the knowledge of their parents; and, adolescents tune into violence portrayed through song on their ipods. One of the major societal problems of the 21st Century is that exposure to violence in individuals under the age of eighteen is pervasive. Those who dismiss the effects of this continuous exposure to violence contend that it has no long term effects. This paper argues that repeated, long-term exposure to violent acts portrayed in the media has a measurable, negative impact on young people under the age of eighteen. Moreover, the paper posits that these negative effects translate into abnormal behaviors during the adult years. The growing body of literature on this topic will be used as evidence to supports this thesis. The paper concludes with several recommendations on addressing the problem. Understanding the Relationship between Media Content and Human Behaviors Research on the long-term effects of exposure to violent acts during childhood can be categorized into two broad areas; Studies that assess the factors that impact cognitive development in children. Studies that measure the physiological effects of long-term exposure to violence. Much of this research on media violence has been conducted in the United States because the majority of media products are developed and produced there. It is a well known fact that our cognitive development is strongly influenced by the external environmental factors to which we are exposed during childhood. Parental influences, behaviors that we acquire from observing peers, the books that we read and a host of other factors help to shape our personalities and affect how we define our relationships with others. It seems reasonable, therefore, to expect that watching television, playing video games on the computer and watching films on a regular basis will impact a child’s cognitive development. When the child is constantly exposed to acts of violence through these media, it seems to make sense intuitively that violence will play some role in the cognitive development of the child. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published a statement in July, 2000 strongly urging that some action be taken to limit the amount of time that children are exposed to media violence. AAP identifies four effects that media violence has on children. They are: Children who are repeatedly exposed to violence are more likely to view violence as appropriate in resolving conflict Children who view violence through the media are more prone to become desensitized towards violence in their personal lives. Viewing violence reinforces the perception that the world is a violent place and causes individuals to engage in extraordinary self-protection measures Children who are exposed to violence have a higher probability of engaging in violent behavior later in life. The AAP statement concludes by noting that over 1,000 studies, including those conducted by Surgeon General’s Office and the National Institute for Mental Health, point overwhelmingly to a causal relationship between exposure to media violence and aggressive behaviors in children (AAP 2000). A national study conducted in the United States in 2003, discovered the alarming fact that children between the ages of newborn and six years actually spent more time each day watching television and playing video games than they did playing outdoors (Rideout, Vanderwater and Wartella). An article published in Psychological Science in the Public Interest found that early childhood exposures to violence on television and video games does, in fact, directly affect the development of serious forms of violent behavior. Moreover, the authors conclude that these violent behaviors manifest themselves later on during adulthood (Anderson et al, 2003). In the United Kingdom, studies linked media violence to early cognitive development in children as early as 1992. Chandler (1992) discovered what he termed “heaving viewing” of violent programs increased the likelihood of disposition toward aggressive behavior in children and adolescents. Research has shown that video games and music represent the two largest forms of entertainment for young people today. In fact, video sales surpassed theatre sales back in 1999. Violent acts or violent lyrics are portrayed in a significant percentage of the videos that young people watch and the music that they listen to. Moreover, the amount of time that young people now spend watching and listening to this form of media is increasing. One does not need to engage in an empirical study to know that this is true. Anyone with a teenager sees first hand every day that these kids are glued to the video screen and when they are not playing videos, the earphones are plugged into the latest rap tunes. Gentile et al (2004) studied the effects of exposure to violent videos on the physiological and psychological behavior of adolescents. They concluded that there was a positive correlation between viewing the violent videos and trait hostility. In addition, their results reinforced the relationship between long-term exposure to violent content in videos and aggressive and violent behavior in adult life. Anderson and Carnagey (2003) studied the effects that listening to music containing violent lyrics had on the behavior of college students. They discovered that these songs caused the students to feel violent emotions and some even exhibited suicidal tendencies. What the authors refer to as the “song effect” led to aggressive behaviors, increased heart rate and blood pressure and visible signs of agitation in many of the participants. The authors note that repeated exposure to violent musical lyrics appears to have a more subtle effect on the psyche than the visual stimulation of watching videos. There is an emerging body of literature that argues that a disproportionate amount of violence in videos and music tends to be directed at women. One interesting study conducted in 2007, showed a direct correlation between exposure to music containing sexually violent lyrics and men’s stereotypical and negative attitudes toward women (St. Lawrence and Joyner, 2007). The Business of Media Violence Unfortunately, many of the largest international media companies are in the business of promoting violence and much of their attention is targeted at young people. The reason is simple. Violence sells products and sales maximize corporate profits. The major corporations that buy advertising space in the media are complicit in fostering this culture of violence. Corporations know that young people today represent a huge market because they have their own money to spend and they also have significant influence on their parents’ decisions to spend. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, media have replaced teachers and parents as role models for many young people. Children eighteen years of age and younger spend between 6 ½ and 8 hours per day watching some type of media or listening to music (Lavers, 2002). The entertainment industry and those who advertise their products in the media, sell violence as alluring and sexy. Psychologist David Grossman notes that the media use ever increasing quantities of violence to “hook” their young audience. He likens this behavior to the alcohol and tobacco industry’s investment of millions of dollars in advertising directed at children. The following quote from Dr. Grossman captures the essence of the problem: Our children watch vivid pictures of human suffering and death, and they learn to associate it with their favorite soft drink and candy bar or their girlfriend’s perfume. All the time in the movie theatres when there is bloody violence, the young people laugh and cheer and keep right on eating popcorn and drinking soda. We have raised a generation of barbarians who have learned to associate violence with pleasure (Lavers 2002). In 2000, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a report that indicated that U.S. media companies were actively marketing restricted content containing violent acts to children under the age of seventeen. The FTC report also publicly revealed some of the industry’s specific marketing tactics. These included advertising adult media products in children’s comics and magazines, showing commercials for R-rated video products during the early evening hours when children are more likely to be watching television, advertising violent programming during children’s shows such as cartoons and marketing violent toys linked to violent media to young children (FTC 2000). Under pressure from members of Congress and parent groups, the Federal Communications Commission launched an investigation of its own and issued a report in 2007 acknowledging the vast body of literature linking violence in the media to negative societal behaviors. The Commission also recognized that media corporations were marketing violence to improve ratings and to sell products to young people. The Commission recommended that a mandatory content rating system be implemented and that violent content, at least on television, be limited to the hours of 10 PM through 6AM (FCC 2007). Addressing the Problem Dealing with violent media content targeted at young children and adolescents clearly requires interventions from multiple sources. That said, the primary responsibility for regulating what media children are exposed to rests with the parents. Parents need to understand that constant exposure to media violence can cause major emotional and psychological problems for their children. All one needs to do is look at how violent acts involving young people appear to have increased dramatically even over the past decade. It now seems to be routine news to learn of adolescents going into a public school somewhere in the United States, China, Finland or India and killing teachers and fellow classmates for no apparent reason. Teen suicide rates around the world have increased significantly in recent years and violent crimes committed by adolescents have grown four fold in the past twenty years. Hate crimes against women and gays and lesbians and ethnic-based crimes are also on the increase. Something is obviously happening that is causing these behaviors in young people and parents need to pay attention to the activities of their children. Many of the literature sources reviewed in the preparation of this paper point to four strategies that parents can employ in helping their children to understand and to cope with the barrage of violent activities that they are exposed to on a daily basis. These are: Restrict the time that children are permitted to watch television, play video games and listen to music. Try to get them to understand that learning social interaction skills is important and to do that they must get out of the house and participate in extracurricular activities. Parents should take the time to watch or listen to media content with their children. Discuss the violent acts or the violent lyrics and put them in context. Discuss the differences between fiction and reality with the child. This is particularly important for young children. So when Fred hits Barney over the head with a club, the child understands that this is fictional and that this behavior is unacceptable in the real world. Prohibit young children from viewing R-rated content unless a parent agrees that it is appropriate and the parent is present. Government regulators need to do more as well. Mandatory standards need to be passed into law and enforced. Obviously, the media companies exert considerable influence on elected officials and their generous financial contributions to political candidates are meant to ensure the status quo. However, politicians also understand that long-term economic costs associated with increases in violent crime and suicide rates in young people are unacceptable to people voting in their home constituencies. Public schools also must bear some of the responsibility in educating children and their parents about the negative consequences associated with long-term exposure to media violence. Many schools have now come to realize that they can positively influence healthy eating behaviors in their students. The time has come to influence their students’ mental wellness as well. A number of national advocacy groups have joined in the campaign to limit violent programming and advertising that targets young children. Collectively, these groups have been able to exert considerable pressure on elected leaders in the United States Congress and on regulatory agencies such as the FTC and the FCC. These groups include the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, Common Sense Media, National Institute for Media and Family and Teachers Resisting Unhealthy Children’s Entertainment. Information for parents and educators is available on their websites. One final word of advice on dealing with children who appear to be exhibiting unusual behavioral characteristics comes from Erwin and Morton (2008). They stress that parents must not simply write off the child’s behavior as a “phase.” Engaging in aggressive or violent behavior may be symptomatic of very complex psychological problems. They urge parents to seek professional help in assessing the child’s problems and in developing an appropriate course of action to deal with the situation. Conclusion This paper provided clear and definitive evidence that long-term exposure to violence on television, in music, in video games and in the materials that children read, leads to aggressive behaviors in young people. These behaviors often translate into actual acts of violence during the adult years. Most of the violent materials are produced and distributed in the United States because the largest entertainment companies are located there. However, the societal problems associated with violence in the media are not confined to the U.S. The effects have an international dimension as well because children all over the world watch videos and listen to music produced in the U.S. Government regulators and parents must collaborate to ensure that adequate rules are put in place to protect children from constant exposure to violent content. Companies who circumvent the rules must be sanctioned. Educators also play an important role by discussing the meaning of violence in our society and helping children to understand the behaviors that are acceptable. There are individuals out there who continue to argue that there is no correlation between constant exposure to media violence and aberrant behaviors in young children and adolescents. It is common knowledge that many of the studies that reach this conclusion are funded by the entertainment corporations. These arguments are analogous to those in the tobacco industry who continue to believe that prolonged exposure to cigarette smoke does not cause cancer; or, proponents of unfettered access to firearms who insist that guns do not kill people, people kill people. Clearly, these individuals do not want to be confused by the facts. The reality is that constant exposure to violent media over prolonged periods of time has social consequences. These consequences impose costs on all of us. We can choose to be proactive in implementing prevention strategies now, or assume a reactive posture and face the music down the road. Works Cited American Academy of Pediatrics. Statement on Violence in the Media. 26 July. 2000. 23 May. 2010 http://www.aap.org/advocacy Anderson, Craig A., and Nicholas L. Carnagey. “Exposure to Violent Media: The Effects of Songs with Violent Lyrics and Aggressive Thoughts and Feelings,” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84 5 (2003): 960-971. Anderson, Craig A., Leonard Berkowitz, Edward Donnerstein, L. Rowell Huesmann, James D. Johnson, Daniel Linz, Neil M. Malamuth and Ellen Wartella “The Influence of Media Violence on Youth.” Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 4. 3. Dec 2003: : 81-110. Beresin, Eugene. “The Impact of Media Violence on Children: Opportunities for Clinical Interventions.” American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychology, 2009. 24 May 2010 http://www.aacap.org. Chandler, Daniel. “Television Violence and Children’s Behaviour.” 1992. 23 May 2010 http://www.aber.ac.uk Erwin, Janelle and Susan R. Morton. “Exposure to Media Violence and Young Children with or without Disabilities: Powerful Opportunities for Family Professional Partnerships.” Early Childhood Education Journal, 36. 2008: 105-112. Gentile, Douglas A., Paul J. Lynch, Jennifer Ruth Linder and David A. Walsh, “The Effects of Violent Video Game Habits on Adolescent Hostility, Aggressive Behaviors and School Performance,” Journal of Adolescence. 27. 2004: 5-22. Lavers, Daphne. “The Verdict on Media Violence.” 13 May 2002. Regional Business News. 23 May 2010 http:// www.insigtmag.com. Washington, D.C. Federal Trade Commission. “Marketing Violent Entertainment to Children: A Review of Self-Regulation and Industry Practices in the Motion Picture, Music Recording & Electronic Gaming Industries.” Sept. 2000. 24 May 2010 http://www.ftc.gov. Rideout, Victoria J., Elizabeth A. Vanderwater and Ellen A. Wartella. “Zero to Six: Electronic Media in the lives of Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers.” The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Fall 2003. 24 May 2010 http://www.kff.org St. Lawrence, Janet S. and Doris J. Joyner. “The Effects of Sexually Violent Rock Music on Males’ Acceptance of Violence Against Women.” Psychology of Women Quarterly, 15.1. July 2006: 49-63. Washington, D.C. Federal Communications Commission. Violent Television Programming and its Impact on Children. FCC 07-50A1. 25 April 2007. 24 May 2010 http://www.fcc.gov. Read More