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Hot Button Paper
Running head: HOT BUTTON ISSUE PAPER

Hot Button Issue Paper

Introduction
Technologies evolve, but sex and violence have always been and remain hot button issues in the media. The pace of the new technological change can be so great that we can no longer wait on formal media effects research to guide our personal decisions. There have been many changes that have been taken place with media sex and violence today since I was a child. I believe that the media technologies have increased the negative effects of sex and violence on children and adults today. This paper will discuss why and provide examples of how it has an effect on adults and children because it’s not only an adult issue. This paper will also discuss recommendations that can be made to help minimize these problems.
Media sex and violence today vs. childhood
I am twenty-six years old today and when I reflect back on my childhood to the media sex and violence, I don’t remember much because my parents had complete control over what we were able to watch and listen to. If my parents wanted to watch a movie that they felt was in appropriate for my age, they would send me to a different room or else watch it when I went to bed. I do remember that bullying was becoming a larger issue. My mom was a school bus driver for a few years when I was little and there would be fights breaking out with high school students. My mom would have to get in the middle of it and try to get them to stop. I remember one kid yelling out on the school bus “where did you learn those moves?” and the high school student said from a movie. That memory will always be with me because that fight was a very brutal fight. There was lots of blood involved and my mom was threatened to be killed. That was very scary for me and knowing that the student learned how to fight like that from a movie makes me think that the media has a large effect on people. When I talked to my mom about the media sex and violence, she told me that it was


References: Herbert, B. (2010, May 10, 2010). Upending Twisted Norms. The New York Times, p. 1. Malamuth, N. M., & Check, J. P. (1985). The effects of aggressive pornography on beliefs in rape myths: Individual differences. Journal of Research in Personality, 19, 299-320. Nemours (1995-2009). How TV Affects Your Child. Retrieved June 25, 2009, from http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/family/tv+affects_child.html Peters, S., & Peters, T. (1997-2007). What About Violence In Movies. Topics Online Magazine. Stranger, J. D., & Gridina, N. (1999). Media In The Home. Washington DC: The Annenberg Public Policy Center. Walsh, D., & Gentile, D. (2001). A Validity Test of Movie, Television, and Video-Game Ratings. Pediatrics, 107, 1302-1308.
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