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Monday, January 5th, 2009

Effects of Movies and Television Violence on Children

Children are avid watchers of movies and television serials. Children are lured to the movies and television serials because of their glamorous content and flights of fancy. In the process, they neglect their studies. Education movies and television serials are few and far between. What the children devour is the standard fare of crime and violence that is dished out by the media. As a result, they tend to glorify violence and resort to fighting and, at times, anti-social activities to meet their fanciful demands.

While the adults can differentiate between the good and the bad, children are in no position to do so; they are simply misled by the violence is glorified in movies. As it is, violence has become the rule in society today. It has infiltrated all walks of life. If the children are exposed to movies and televisions serials glorifying violence, they may take to it like duck takes to water.

Solution To The Problem

It has been suggested that movies and television serials with scenes of violence be screened at a late hour. But the real solution to this problem lies basically with the parents and the teachers. It is their duty to warn children of the effects of watching movies and television serials showing and glorifying violence. More education must be introduced in schools and high ethical standards inculcated in students.

This entry was posted on Monday, January 5th, 2009 at 9:12 am and is filed under Violence. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

11 Responses to “Effects of Movies and Television Violence on Children”

Sue Says:
January 5th, 2009 at 8:39 pm

Did it ever occur to you that the parents should be responsible to teach their kids right from wrong?! I grew up watching things like “The Three Stooges”. I never tried to hit my brother with a hammer or poke my sister in the eye. This “devil made me do it” excuse is the problem not the programing.

Dan DePalma Says:
January 5th, 2009 at 9:03 pm

How unfortunate that we have once again found a scapegoat for the wrong actions of a minority. In the 1950s comic books were targeted as a cause of juvenile delinquincy, the 1960s and 1970s saw Rock Music bear the brunt of such attacks. Television, movies and games have now joined the long list of influences blamed for the actions of our children.When testifying before Congress, William Gaines used these words to defend comic books and the right to read:
“What are we afraid of? Are we afraid of our own children? Do we forget that they are citizens, too, and entitled to select what to read or do? We think our children are so evil, simple minded, that it takes a story of murder to set them to murder, a story of robbery to set them to robbery?
As has already been pointed out by previous testimony, a little healthy, normal child has never been made worse for reading comic magazines.
The basic personality of a child is established before he reaches the age of comic-book reading. I don’t believe anything that has ever been written can make a child overaggressive or delinquent.
The roots of such characteristics are much deeper. The truth is that delinquency is the product of real environment, in which the child lives and not of the fiction he reads.”

It is our job as adults to guide our children, and part of that is a real dialog about what they watch, read and do. If they turn out to have problems we can’t blame media…we must look to our guidance.

Gina Says:
January 6th, 2009 at 1:29 am

I get so tired of articles like this. Why as a society do we find it necessary to blame others for our failures? My children have watched violent movies and tv since they were small (we had only one tv and there was only so much barney a parent can take). They were told it was not real no one got hurt and the blood was fake. They are two of the kindest people I know. We have allowed ourselves to be dumbed down. I saw a tag on a stroller that said take baby out of stroller before folding. How stupid do you need to be to require that tag? Blame parents for their children’s actions. If you teach them right they will grow up to be good kind people. If not do not blame tv, video games, or music. It is your lazy a$$ that is to blame for the violence in our society because you did not take your job as a parent seriously.

Carolyn Says:
January 6th, 2009 at 1:36 am

Visual stimulation from movies, tv and other media DO have a serious and lasting effect on children. And repeated exposure to such violence, especially in children of younger ages, does desensitize and teach children that violence and fighting are norms. Small children, under 7, do not fully understand that what they see on tv looks real but isn’t. Yes, parents do need to monitor what their children are watching, and it helps to have school and daycare back it up, but the fact that media often target children with violent toys and shows is a serious problem. Why is it that our culture has come to accept glorified violence? Reading is different from seeing real people do unreal things on TV and in the movies. I would even argue that comics and cartoons are different because they don’t look real, they are a caricature. Our kids have enough to challenge them. Why not cut back on the violence?

Daniel Kalbac, MD Says:
January 6th, 2009 at 1:43 am

I think it is all well and good to think that parents should be monitoring what their children watch. However this is not what happens in real life. How many parents us the television as a baby sitter and don’t monitor what their children watch on TV. Or how many just cave in to their children and teenagers and allow them to watch the garbage that is on TV. It is proven that children’s minds are moldable at an early age. If parents allow the trash on TV whether it be sex, violence, just plain nonsense then that is what will be learned as acceptable. I dare say that any parent wants their daughter to grow up to be on one of those rap and hip hop videos. However, by allowing the television industry to show this trashy stuff parents are not standing up for their kids. If kids see it they will emulate it. Take for instance, Hannah Montana. What little pre teen and teenage girl doesn’t identify with her and want to be just like her. I agree that the truth is that delinquency is the product of real environment. That environment includes television which is so pervasive in our society. Therefore, we ,as parents, should help our children be happy and well adjusted by monitoring what they watch and truly spending quality time talking, listening and doing activities that don’t involve television with our kids. I know I do.

Troy A. Says:
January 6th, 2009 at 1:49 am

Violence is and has always been a part of our race as human beings in general, the stuff we see on TV is nothing new. What about the history of violence in sports all the way back to gladiator battles? Public executions or tortures? Books including the Bible or Koran? Violence on TV is hardly something to worry about in itself when compared to the gruesome sights in our history. Parents just need to have control over what their children see and decide at what age it’s appropriate to loosen the grip. I love my violent programs and yet am one of the most docile and fun loving individuals you could meet…seeing violence in media does NOT automatically equal violent behavior in the viewer. That is reserved for bad judgement, mental issues, or a history of abuse.

Steve S. Says:
January 6th, 2009 at 4:49 am

Seems to me that we’re arguing the wrong point. Whether TV has too much or too little sex or violence is secondary to the fact that when kids are watching TV, they are not reading, studying or playing outside. I’m less concerned with the contents of television than I am concerned with the character of my children.

Tina Says:
January 6th, 2009 at 6:34 am

A child’s most influential role models are his/her guardians, parents, and siblings. While media may glorify violence, a child who witnesses and/or is a victim of verbal, emotional and physical abuse is more likely to become abusive. Granted, TV programming should be censored by parents if it contains mature content, but children also need to learn the difference between reality and fantasy. Only a good conversation with a responsible role model will teach those concepts.

roy pena Says:
January 6th, 2009 at 6:51 am

It is true that indecent rap music, rated R movies, unfiltered internet plus violent video games desensitize our children. However, more damage is done to their self esteem, because they are witnessing the degrading of human worth. In other words boys get the wrong impression about what it means to be a respectable and responsible man and girls get misled into believeing that they are only sex objects. Parents that believe the media does not influence their children are obviously, not raising or teaching them properly, because if they were, they wouldn’t have to rely on the media TO DO IT FOR THEM!

Bill Thunder Says:
January 6th, 2009 at 10:20 am

This is really a no-brainer.
It’s funny to me that so many people are angry at the idea that they can’t plop their kid down in front of the TV all day long and expect them to magically become nice people.
I don’t see why it is so hard to imagine that you can’t fill a kid’s head with garbage and guess that everything will turn out great.
Parents are afraid to say no to their kids- or afraid that if the TV isn’t going to keep them occupied that they will have to deal with the kid- interact and be a parent.

Tom Sirmons Says:
January 10th, 2009 at 6:51 am

Good, sound parenting is falling victim to selfishness and self-indulgence in our society. The former would include strictly-enforced hours for TV, play snd educational pursuits. Television would be restricted to programming appropriate to age group.
Unfortunately, this requires involvement and vigilance, which are inconvient to parents wishing to “do their own thing”.
Also, even though my childhood was far from perfect. I watched all the Westerns and crime shows, and never felt the urge to take what is saw into real life. There is plenty about which to criticize the media, parents and schools. Our emphasis has become telling children WHAT to think, rather than HOW to think. That type of mindless propagandizing simply excaberbates any carry-over of violent behavior learned from TV.
Having been around my share of young boys, I have observed that the most likely source of repetetive behavior is professional wrestling. Young males, and obviously older ones too, can’t seem to make the connection. While they are excellent athletes and acrobats, professional wrestlers would be seriously reducing their number if the violence portrayed were real.
We have many problems in our culture today, of which violence by younger and younger children is critical. If you are not willing to put in the time and effort to be a good parent, stay out of the gene pool!

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