Effects of Tv Violence on Children

Effects of Television Violence on Children
In our society today, it is extremely important to pay attention to what influences children. One of the biggest influences America's youth may have is the television. It is possible for children to be pulled into the television's realistic world of violence with sometimes devastating results. The impact of television violence on youth behavior has been an issue for many years. Violent programs on television lead to negative behavior by children and teenagers who watch those programs.
"There can no longer be any doubt that heavy exposure to televised violence is one of the causes of aggressive behavior, crime and violence in society. The evidence comes from both the laboratory and real-life studies. Television violence affects youngsters of all ages, genders, at all socio-economic levels and all levels of intelligence. The effect is not limited to children who are already disposed to being aggressive and is not restricted to this country. The fact that we get this same finding of a relationship between television violence and aggression in children in study after study, in one country after another, cannot be ignored. The causal effect of television violence on aggression, even though it is not very large, exists. We have come to believe that a vicious cycle exists in which television violence makes children more aggressive and these aggressive children turn to watching more violence to justify their own behavior." said Leonard Eron, before the U.S. Senate Committee (qtd. in Levine 3). Many psychologists believe that children who are heavy viewers of violence on television may lose the ability to empathize, protest and to become distressed by real life acts of violence. Thus, children begin to become less bothered by violence in general and less likely to see anything wrong with it. However, television stations and their executives continue to deny TV's contribution to youth violence.
"Violence on television is damaging to children. Forty years of research conclude that repeated exposure to high levels of media violence teaches some children and adolescents to settle interpersonal differences with violence, while teaching many more to be indifferent to this solution" (Levine 3). Psychological research has shown three major effects of seeing violence on television: Children may become less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others, more fearful of the world around them, and may be more likely to behave in aggressive or harmful ways toward others (A.P.A., par. 2).
Many people ask the question, "What are the long-term effects of violent television watching on children?" Research by Dr. James Cantor might help people better understand, the possible damaging effects television has on young children. Dr. Cantor's research states, "Exposure to media violence, particularly that which entails bitter hostilities or the graphic display of injuries, initially induces an intense emotional reaction in viewers. Over time and with repeated exposure, however, many viewers exhibit decreasing emotional responses to the depiction of violence and injury" (Broadcast Dialogue Magazine, Lavers, par. 30).
"Unless and until there is unmistakable proof to the contrary, the presumption must be that television is and will be a main factor in influencing the values and moral standards of our society," states the Pilkington Report (qtd. in Levine 79).
Crap:
Throughout the paper there will be various examples that demonstrate the impact television has had on youth violence. This will be accomplished by: discussing the problems associated with television viewing, identifying violence on television, portraying the effects of television violence on younger people, and revealing ways to reduce violence on television. This paper explores these topics by using multiple statistics, by incorporating the views of several public officials and authors, and through my own views as well. There have been other studies, which also demonstrate the effects of violence on youth. In the above paragraphs, various examples to demonstrate the impact television have had on youth violence. By discussing the problems associated with television viewing, identifying violence on television, portraying the effects of television violence on younger people, and revealing ways to reduce violence on television; I have established that television violence has some effect on youth behavior. The statistics used in the above paragraphs, as well as the views of _____and my own views, have contributed the belief that television affects youth violence.