Media Causes Violent Behaviors

Xiong Yang

Brian Lewis

English 1022.55

Collaborative Blogging Project

February 07, 2010

Media Causes Violent Behaviors

Media brings joy, laughter, excitement, and entertainment to our homes. It keeps us posted on what’s happening around the world. It gives us another perspective on our sense of imaginations and views. Although there may be some positive aspects of what the media provides, there are also negative impacts it has on our homes. Children and teens these days are acquiring violent behaviors and aggression from what they see on television, movies, and video games.

About 99% of today’s household has a television compared to only 10% back in 1950. This is a dramatic increase in the opportunity for youth to watch shows containing acts of violence. With the busy work schedule of parents these days, letting a young child sit in front of the television seems to be the solution. According to some parents, with the rules and regulations of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), most television shows are controlled and violent acts are at a very minimal. Other parents may even argue that most shows such as Bugs Bunny, Tom and Jerry, or the Coyote and Road Runner do not show violence but only hilarious acts. A three year study known as the Television Violence Monitoring Project found that, “sixty one percent of television programs contain some violence and only four percent of television programs with violent content feature an antiviolence theme” (Media Facts and Statistics).

The truth is any show that has any acts of brutality or aggression from a character towards another is violence. At an early age children can easily learn and pick up what they see happening around them. Most children watch what they find is interesting to them on television with no or minimal parental control. Young children who are exposed to violent television shows or movies, has the tendency to develop violent behaviors or acts of aggression later on in life. At an early age, children are less able to distinguish what is fantasy or reality. In most case, children will imitate what they see on a television screen onto real life situations. For example, most children, mainly males, grow up wanting to be a hero. In some television shows or movies, the hero never gets in trouble for using any acts of violence. The hero is also rewarded for their acts of violence at the end. Thus, these children who are exposed to these kind of shows have the mindset that if their favorite super hero can do harm onto others, they too can do the same as well.

A good number of studies have shown that not only younger children are affected by violent television shows and movies, youth and teens are vulnerable as well. In several studies, children and teens are anticipated to have higher levels of aggression and likely to carry out acts of violence after watching violent shows and movies. Another finding is that, teens that are more aggressive and violent tends to like shows or movies that contain some sort of violent act than their peers, who are less aggressive and violent.

While there are many ways to help steer kids away from violent television shows and movies, video games is the leading cause for violent behaviors and aggression. Video games not only let a child or teen see the violent behaviors of the characters, but it lets the player become the character themselves caring out these violent acts. When an individual is not only watching these acts of violence unfold in front of the television screen, but is engaged in the violent acts themselves, the impact is greater.

For example, in the cartoon Tom and Jerry, Jerry, the mouse, places a bomb under the chair of Tom, the cat. When the bomb goes off, the screen lights up and flashes. Then a word is place on the screen of the television that says,” BOOM!” In contrast, in the video game, Metal Gear Solid, when the player throws a bomb at the enemies, the bomb explodes with a loud bang sound and everything around shakes. Blood is splatter everywhere and when the cloud of dust clears, the enemy is covered in a pool of blood. As one can see, the intensity of a video game is greater than that of a television show.

Mainly all makers and producers of violent video games argued that these violent games are made for adult use only. It is the parents who are to blame due to the fact that they are the ones buying their underage child such a game. According to the Federal Trade Commission, “eighty three percent of game purchases for underage consumers are made by parents or by parents and children together” (Reality Bytes: Eight Myths About Video Games Debunked).
In most cases, parents don’t even know which game consist of more or less violence. Parents generally think that games are made for all kids, thus, ratings on games aren’t really considered.

Some violent video games are made for the sole purpose of training soldiers for combat in the military. It’s a less expensive way of training as well as it provides a safer environment and practice for the soldiers. Yet, these same games are available for anyone to purchase from any local store to play. For insistence, the game “Doom” is played by most military soldiers as a training purpose. It gives the soldiers a real live like sense of combat. On April 20, 1999, there was a shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado where two teenage boys walked into their school, shot, and killed thirteen other students. It was found that these two teenage boys had been playing the game “Doom” prior to the shooting. Their patterns and acts during the shooting are well related to what is taught in the game.

All in all, one can see that violent behaviors and aggression in children and teens are learned from what is being watched on television, movies, and video games. These negative behaviors can certainly lead to lifelong consequences. Without the proper interventions, violence will definitely break out into our homes and community, where one does not know the different between fantasy and reality. One of the many solutions is that the media should educate the parents for which is appropriate or not for one’s child.


Works Cited

“Is Violence a Problem.”Enotes.com, Inc. 2010. Web. 05 Feb 2010. http://www.enotes.com/media-violence-problem-article

“Media Facts and Statistics.” National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center. 26 Feb. 2008. Web. 04 Feb. 2010. http://www.safeyouth.org/scripts/faq/mediaviolstats.asp

“Reality Bytes: Eight Myths About Video Games Debunked.” Jenkins, Henry. KCTS, PBS. Web. 04 Feb. 2010. http://www.pbs.org/kcts/videogamerevolution/impact/myths.html

“Video Games: A Cause of Violence and Aggression.” Shin, Grace. Serendip. 2007. Web. 05 Feb. 2010. http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1723