Media Violence Effect on Children - Assignment Example

Media Violence Effect on Children Position ment It is my belief that the violence that is displayed in media has a negative effect on children who view them. This is because in such situations, children end up displaying either aggressive or violent behavior which has an adverse effect on their development. Rhetorical Context The effect of media violence on children is an important issue of discussion especially among parents, and communities within which students live because of the massive increase in acts of violence among children. Therefore, the result of showing these violent scenes in media has created an environment where children come to view aggression and violence as acceptable, a factor that has been proven in different studies concerning the matter. Audience Analysis The targeted audience of this study is those individuals who take an active part in the development of children, such as their parents, guardians, or teachers. Claim The main argument in this study is that the continued display of violence in media creates a situation where impressionable children end up becoming more aggressive and violent towards others of the same age. Reasons Previous studies have shown that there is often a possibility of children displaying an increase in aggressiveness especially in circumstances where they are witnesses to violence. One of the biggest sources of violent displays in the world today is media and when these scenes are viewed by children, it tends to create a mentality among them that violence can be a part of everyday life. The result of is that children end up becoming more aggressive especially in an environment where they are with other children. Such aggressive behavior tends to show itself when they are playing with their friends and this might in the process lead to their hurting other children. Outline This study will take a Rogerian approach because this is the only way through which the different arguments concerning the effects of media violence on children can be addressed. The paper will begin with an introduction which will contain the theses that media violence has an adverse effect on children. Following this will be several body paragraphs which will include my arguments and counterarguments concerning the issues at hand. Finally, I will attempt to come up with a common ground between the opposing views and make recommendations on how the problem can be solved. Introduction Violence in media has in recent years increased to such an extent that it has become a matter of concern for individuals who feel that it might have a negative effect on children who view it. Because children in the current age are more active media viewers than in previous generations, their exposure to media violence has increased dramatically. It is for this reason that the effect of violent media on children has become an issue which has plagued society over the last two decades with many believing that it is mostly negative. Over the years, violence in all forms of media has become extremely common with children being exposed to it from a very young age. The availability of violent media to children has created a situation where it has become difficult to assess how this form of media has an effect on them since children react in different ways depending on their mental circumstances (Ferguson and Dyck 220). The result of being exposed to violent media has been that children have come to be affected in different ways with some being affected mildly while others have become more violent. Others have ended up suffering from serious psychological conditions which have made their lives difficult as a result of their being traumatized by the violent scenes that they saw in media. The effect of violent media on children, which is essentially negative, must be studied because it is necessary for a more comprehensive approach towards how to tackle this problem to be found and implemented. Effects of violent media One would argue that a negative effect of violent media, especially movies, on those children who watch them is that some among these children end up developing an indifference towards any form of violence that they witness (Anderson et al. 81). Such circumstances can be extremely disturbing because it results in a child displaying a lack of conscience which has no place in human society. When these children are exposed to violence in this way, it is not known what they might be capable of and makes it difficult for them to be understood because of their violent behavior. Under these circumstances, children are more likely to act violently or aggressively towards anyone around them because they have internalized a belief that doing so is a normal part of life. Those opposed to this view have argued that children displaying a lack of conscience do not necessarily have to be influenced by violent media and that some of them might have developed antisocial or psychopathic tendencies because of their upbringing (Fanti et al. 179). They argue that media has been displaying violence for generations and that just because some children display aggressive behavior does not mean that they have been affected by violent media. This argument has been countered by the observation that there are instances where children, instead of behaving in a normal manner, have ended up attempting to emulate their heroes in violent movies. The existence of these situations have increased to such an extent that they have resulted in children causing harm or serious injuries not only to other children but also to themselves. Viewing violent scenes in media has led to children not being able to restrain themselves in situations where they need to have self-control. There have been reports that some children, being more likely to imitate the actions that they see in movies than adults, begin displaying violent tendencies from an early age with some because of their actions ending up hurting their friends in situations which seem to be regular playing behavior (Erwin and Morton 105). Under these circumstances, the effect of violence in media is long term among children and it has become a matter of great concern for all individuals in the society. There has been growing concern that children in coming generations, if they continue to be exposed to violent content in media are more likely than not to be increasingly violent. It should be noted that when children see violent content in media, they develop a mentality where they have a hard time developing a difference in defining what is real from what is not and this creates a dilemma where it is impossible for them to make proper decisions about whether their actions are right or wrong in real life (Vidal, Clemente and Espinosa 381). Their inability to differentiate what is real from what if not makes life extremely unpredictable for these children because in seemingly innocent circumstances, they might end up acting violently or aggressively towards those around them to detrimental results. An example of such a situation would be where children are playing baseball and suddenly, in a bid to replicate a scene he saw in media, one of them takes a bat and hits his friend with it (Block and Crain 252). This argument has been countered by the statement that media does not create violent tendencies in children rather it is the parents who expose their children to such violence. Because they do not guide or control their children in what they watch, parents are to blame because those children who have viewed violent scenes and been guided through them by being told that these scenes are not real, will not try to replicate them. There have been reports that in some circumstances, children who have been exposed to a lot of violent media tend to display signs of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Bryce and Kaye 101). Those children who display these symptoms feel that the violence that they have witnessed in media has been meted out on them. These children’s not being able to differentiate fiction from reality makes it difficult for them to focus sufficiently to realize that what they are feeling has not actually happened. The result is that children become more withdrawn and if their symptoms are not diagnosed correctly, one might come to the conclusion that they are living in an abusive environment. Violent media can be extremely harmful to children because their brains are still developing and a lot of the information that they gain from the violence they witness might end up influencing them for the rest of their lives (Bushman and Anderson 278). One would suggest that some of the violent actions displayed by individuals as adults are as a result of being exposed to violent media at a young age, making them consider violence to be a normal part of life. However, there have also been arguments that while violent media might have a negative effect on children, this effect is only short term and it does not have a lasting effect on children. It is further argued that the belief that violent media has a negative effect on children does not put into consideration that childhood is a stage where individuals are guided by morality so that they are conscious of whether they are doing what is right or wrong. Such moral guidance allows children to view violent media without necessarily being affected by it since they know right from wrong. Recommendations Children in the modern world have ended up becoming so engrossed with media such as violent video games that they are often not interested in anything else. Under such circumstances, these individuals have ended up having serious developmental problems, both physical and mental (Ferguson and Kilburn 759). In order to combat these negative aspects of violent media, it has become essential for parents to become actively involved in their lives so that these children can be guided on how to live their lives. In situations where children are viewing violent media, it is the duty of parents to guide these children through the scenes and to ensure that they understand that what they are viewing is fictional and has no basis in reality. Furthermore, in order to keep these children from being exposed to violent media, it is essential for parents to develop strict controls over what children can watch or play when they are in their homes. This is because when children are allowed the freedom to choose what media they can watch or play; it is more likely than not that they will select violent ones because they find them to be more exciting. By spending more time with their children, parents can be able to develop activities which will ensure that their children are not completely engrossed in violent media (Weaver 232). One of these activities can be assigning children with chores within the home during their free time to occupy their minds sufficiently enough to keep them from the negativity of violent media. Furthermore, parents can set aside time for the entire family to participate in regular exercise and other outdoor activities in a bid to ensure that their children are able to remain physically healthy while at the same time spending lesser time on media which affects their development. In the school environment, teachers have a responsibility of developing curricula which are aimed at sensitizing children concerning the dangers of violent media and encouraging them to view only non-violent media when not at school. Furthermore, teachers have a role to play in making sure that those students seen to display aggressive or violent behavior in the school environment are taken into counseling because this is one of the few ways through which children can be helped to overcome the negative effects of violent media. Conclusion The discussion above has shown that violent media has a negative effect on the mental development of children. It is because of these negative effects that restrictions should be set by parents concerning what type of media that their children can be exposed to. The discussion has shown that children whose minds are still developing are susceptible to negative influence such as aggression from violent media. Furthermore, some children have been found to develop psychological problems as a result of their being exposed to violent media and this has resulted in their not being able to develop their full mental capabilities. Finally, it is essential for both parents and teachers to become actively involved in the lives of children through discouraging them from viewing violent media as well as offering counseling in cases where they have been negatively affected by it. Works Cited Anderson, Craig, et al. "The influence of media violence on youth." Psychological Science in the Public Interest 4.3 (2003): 81. Block, Jerald and Bradford Crain. “Omissions and errors in "Media Violence and the American Public." American Psychologist, 62 (2007): 252-253 Bryce, Jo and Linda Kaye. Computer and videogames. In G. Brewer (Ed.), Media Psychology. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. Bushman, Brad and Craig Anderson. “Media violence and the American public: Scientific fact versus media misinformation.” American Psychologist, 56.6 (2001): 477–489. Erwin, Elizabeth, and Naomi Morton. “Exposure to media violence and young children with and without disabilities: Powerful opportunities for family-professional partnerships.” Early Childhood Education Journal, 36.2 (2008): 105-112. Fanti, Kostas, et al. “Desensitization to media violence over a short period of time.” Aggressive Behavior, 35.2, (2009): 179-187. Ferguson, Christopher and Dominic Dyck. "Paradigm change in aggression research: The time has come to retire the General Aggression Model". Aggression and Violence Behavior 17.17 (2012): 220–228. Ferguson, Christopher and John Kilburn. "The Public Health Risks of Media Violence: A Meta-Analytic Review." The Journal of Pediatrics 154.5 (2009): 759–763. Vidal, Ángel, Miguel Clemente and Pablo Espinosa. "Types of media violence and degree of acceptance in under-18s." Aggressive Behavior 29.5 (2003): 381. Weaver, Andrew. “A Meta-Analytical Review of Selective Exposure to and the Enjoyment of Media Violence.” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 55.2 (2011): 232-250. Read More