The Negative Impact of Exposing Children to Media...

The Negative Impact of Exposing Children to Media Violence On April 20, 1999 at Columbine High School, 13 people were killed and another 23 were wounded in one of the worst school killing incidents ever (Skeesis). Since the 1980s, overall homicide rates in the U.S. have declined. However, homicide rates for ages 14-17 have increased quite dramatically during this time period (Fox). Among other numerous potential causes, violence in the media may play a role in this increase in youth violence. Today, there is much controversy over the potential harmful effects of media violence on childrenà ­s lives. I believe that exposure of children to media violence is harmful. For the purposes of this paper, I will limit the definition of (mass)†¦show more content†¦Some may go on to argue that children have grown up watching TV violence for many years now, so that there must be some other explanation for the recent surge in youth violence. However, this argument is flawed. Not until the past few decades have conclusive studies on the effects of television violence been performed. As more of these studies are done, the evidence is becoming increasingly clear that there are adverse effects of television violence on children. Over the last three decades, the one overriding finding in research on the mass media is that exposure to media portrayals of violence increases aggressive behavior in children (media_violence.html). This fact is clear evidence that overexposure to television will have long-term negative effects on childrenà ­s behavior, and in turn, their entire lives. Aggression, quite obviously, can lead to dangerous situations. A child who is overly aggressive will get himself into fights where someone is likely to get hurt. Sure, children are often irrational and engage in fights over trivial matters, but how would you feel knowing that your own kid is hurting other children and himself because he or she watched someone on TV do it? An extensive study of entertainment programming found that in 73% of violent acts, there was no punishment for the perpetrators (APA). This sends a desperately negative message to our youth: Ità ­s okay to hurt people; youShow MoreRelatedThe Effects Of Violence On Young Children981 Words   |  4 PagesChildren throughout America spend countless hours on the media, such as watching television, playing video games, or listening to music. Most media in the world today contains immeasurable images of violence, and average total media use of children throughout the United States is nearly 8 hours per day (Bushman Anderson, 2001). This means that through this constant access to the media, young children are exposing themselves to countless images of graphic violence. 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