Violence in the Media and Subsequent Aggression among the Youth - Essay Example

?Violence in the Media and Subsequent Aggression among the Youth – Checking this! Thesis ment: The media is an important agency for the growth and development of our society but if aspects of it such as the display and outburst of violence are not checked, children of today who are growing to be adults tomorrow will be negatively affected. Introduction The media is an avenue for the dissemination of information, education and entertainment. These three roles have been the expected role of the media since time immemorial. Basically, the media comprises of the print, radio, television and lately Internet media. Without any argument, the role of the media is very crucial to the development of every nation. The work of the media has remained useful to people of all walks of life and has gradually grown to be an inseparable part of our everyday life; be it consciously or unconsciously. However though, current trends in media practices have raised lots of eyebrows and red flags. One of such trends is the outburst of violence in the media, especially the audio visual media like the television and Internet. Rank (2011) laments on the outburst of violence in the media stating that “violence takes many forms, including: family violence, peer group violence, abuse of power, sexual violence, community violence, hate crime and hate speech.” Sadly, the media today portrays all these forms of violence. This research paper has therefore been set out to critically analyze the relationship between violence in the media and aggressiveness in the youth. This shall be done by touching on three major themes which are effects of violence in the media on children, checking the media of violence and checking children against the impact of violence in the media. Effects of Violence in the Media on Children As purported leaders of tomorrow, there is the need to protect children from any acts and practices that have the potential of jeopardizing their future. One of such acts is the effect of media in causing children to be excessively aggressive as they mature into adolescents, youth and even adults. Indeed research shows that violence in the media can impact negatively on children, causing them to be very aggressive. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (2011), “Extensive viewing of television violence by children causes greater aggressiveness. Sometimes, watching a single violent program can increase aggressiveness.” This is an undeniable fact as children by nature pick up behaviors and ideas they see around them quickly. Children are volatile and such fragile that they are easily influenced to copy things they see around them, including sciences and acts of violence in the media. With very little sense of judgment, children are much likely to apply specific acts they see on television and in films on their friends. The act of identifying children who are being influenced negatively by violence in the media is an important skill that every adult must possess. This is because when such influences are seen at early stages, it becomes easier to control and check such children against deepened influence of violence and aggression on their later lives. To this end, Taking IT Global (2011) puts forward certain signs that adults can look out for in children and the youth. Once children begin exhibiting such behavior, there is the need to parents and other adults to begin monitoring them. The group therefore states that “youth violence can take several forms: Verbal, psychological, and sexual forms of assault, gang violence, bullying, gender and harassment.” Checking the Media of Violence In fighting to avoid the negative impact of aggression on the future of children that is caused by violence in the media, the media itself should be the first point of call. Refusing to do this will be like the proverbial solider who does not put his own house in check but expects that the house of every other person is put to check. To check the media of violence, it is strongly advocated that standardized censorship should be enforced. There is no denying the fact that there are censorship laws but the questions remains ‘how well has these laws being enforced?’ The censorship board must not be seen as a white elephant that only exists in writing. As regularly as possible, the work of the board must be seen in the public domain by applying their rules and regulations on defaulting media houses. As part of censorship, there should be labeling of programs to depict the group of persons that various films and television programs are suitable for. Again, media houses must be very mindful of the times of day they show certain programs. Clearly, children go to bed very early and so it is advised that programs and films that may involve violence and other scenes that are not suitable for children be aired at late night. This is one way of ensuring that children do not become affected by violence that goes on in the media. Checking children against the Impact of Violence in the Media In trying to put the media to check, it is worth noting that parents and other adults who act as guardians have as much responsibility as the media houses. As a matter of fact, attempts made to check the media of violence will probably not work if parents refuse to play their own part of the role. Shockingly, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (2011) notes that “American children watch an average of fours hours of television daily” and the frequency may not be anything different with children in other parts of the world. As noted early on, the media can have powerful influence on children in making them aggressive in the future. Parents are called to task to first and foremost, regulate the kind of programs and films their children watch. Parents must have the boldness, to dictate and define and programs to be watched and those that are not to be watched to children. This is an important role as long as violence is leaving the media no time soon. Again, parents and adults are advised to be good models and mentors for their children. This is to say that if watching violence on TV is not good, then mum or dad should not watch it also. Children must not have a cause to think that parents are depriving them of good things because parents preach virtue but practice vice. In this vain, Josephson (2010) advises parent to “include viewing with the child, commenting on content, providing distraction or comfort if the child is frightened, and encouraging or discouraging behavior they see preschoolers imitating from television” as children view television with children. Finally, it is important that children are engaged in useful activities and programs at home. This is because must children resort to television to following the media when they have nothing better doing. Putting children in reading and writing clubs, hobby clubs and other useful activities has the tendency of making children too busy to opt for television. Such activities also have the potential of teaching children the need to avoid violence on the media. Once children decide on their own reasoning not to follow violence in the media, it becomes almost impossible to steal this mentality from them. Reference List American Academy of Child and Adolescnet Psychiatry. Children and TV Violence. http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/facts_for_families/children_and_tv_violence. 2011. web 1st June, 2011 Anderson, C.A., and Bushman, B.J. 2002. The effects of media violence on society. Science, 295, 2377-2378. Johnson, J.G., et al. 2002. Television viewing and aggressive behavior during adolescence and adulthood. Science, 295, 2468-2471. Josephson W L. 2010, “Television Violence: A Review of the Effects on Children of Different Ages – Report.” Media Awareness Network. http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/research_documents/reports/violence/tv_violence_child.cfm. 2010. Web. June 3, 2011 Rank J. “Violence – Body, Causes, What is Violence?” http://www.humanillnesses.com/Behavioral-Health-Sel-Vi/Violence.html, 2011. Web. 2nd June, 2011 Taking IT Global. “Youth Violence - Global Issues.” http://issues.tigweb.org/violence?gclid=CODKs_2vmakCFcOEDgodXgn7tw, 2011. Web. 2nd June, 2011 Read More