Violence in the Media Causes Aggression in Children
Ms. Fidler
ENG Comp I
7 October 2012
Violence in the Media causes Aggression in Children There have been lots of debates and studies discussing the impact that media violence has on children. Research has shown that media violence does affect the behavior in children. Media violence also causes aggression in children’s behavior. Psychology studies have shown how children think. “A young child is a human being who, unlike their elders, is still engaged in the fundamental process of developing the major portion of their mental capacity. At least eighty percent of his/her intellectual aptitude is acquired during the first six years of their life. Throughout this critical period, their brain matures and develops in accordance with the exercise of their minds and the intellectual stimulation provided by their surroundings” (how children learn, 1962). What children see on a daily basis are lifestyles that they can develop.
Watching violent television shows or playing violent video games will have an impact on how they grow up and the activities they take part in themselves. According to The Academy of Pediatrics, “More than one thousand scientific studies and reviews conclude that significant exposure to media violence increases the risk of aggressive behavior in certain children, desensitizes them to violence and makes them believe that the world is a ‘meaner and scarier’ place than it is.” If children begin to think that this type of violence is normal behavior these thoughts are often said to be hard to change later on in life.
Parents should understand the affects that media violence has on their children. Parents becoming more educated on the things that influence their children will help decrease the violent behavior in children. Children should be supervised when it comes down to the media. They should not be shown things that can cause them to want to practice and repeat.
The media should take into consideration that violence is not okay for kids to be
ENG Comp I
7 October 2012
Violence in the Media causes Aggression in Children There have been lots of debates and studies discussing the impact that media violence has on children. Research has shown that media violence does affect the behavior in children. Media violence also causes aggression in children’s behavior. Psychology studies have shown how children think. “A young child is a human being who, unlike their elders, is still engaged in the fundamental process of developing the major portion of their mental capacity. At least eighty percent of his/her intellectual aptitude is acquired during the first six years of their life. Throughout this critical period, their brain matures and develops in accordance with the exercise of their minds and the intellectual stimulation provided by their surroundings” (how children learn, 1962). What children see on a daily basis are lifestyles that they can develop.
Watching violent television shows or playing violent video games will have an impact on how they grow up and the activities they take part in themselves. According to The Academy of Pediatrics, “More than one thousand scientific studies and reviews conclude that significant exposure to media violence increases the risk of aggressive behavior in certain children, desensitizes them to violence and makes them believe that the world is a ‘meaner and scarier’ place than it is.” If children begin to think that this type of violence is normal behavior these thoughts are often said to be hard to change later on in life.
Parents should understand the affects that media violence has on their children. Parents becoming more educated on the things that influence their children will help decrease the violent behavior in children. Children should be supervised when it comes down to the media. They should not be shown things that can cause them to want to practice and repeat.
The media should take into consideration that violence is not okay for kids to be