Corrupt Media

I came up with a problem that concerns many parents. It seems as though violence plays a role in the lives of many people. Even innocent children are affected by the negative things that go on in the huge world we live in. Television violence is often overlooked because of its ability to retain children's attention. Countless mothers and fathers put their children in front of the television so they can have time to themselves. As a result, the kids are subjected to unnecessary media violence. I feel as thought this violence has a great effect on the children's lives.

The impact of television violence on youth behavior has been an issue for many years. Television stations and their executives tend to deny television's contribution to youth violence. Unfortunately, there is a direct correlation between television viewing and violence. This provides one possible cause for the shocking rise in violence on Americas' school campuses. Communications technology is expanding through the entire global community. Children everywhere are being born into a world of images and messages, which are largely separated from their home, school and spiritual lives.

In society today storytellers are seldom parents, grandparents, teachers or the clergy; instead they are the handful of distant forces with something to sell. What is unique about the media industry is that in global and corporate domination they have become part of our culture as well as our identity. Social scientists and child advocates have been exploring the effects of media for decades, yet it is only recently that the concern has generated a public debate. Disagreements concerning the effect of violence revealed in works of art and entertainment have resonated over the centuries. We must ask ourselves whether or not our versions of entertainment exhibits anymore violence then past forms of recreation, for example gladiatorial games or public hangings. The television is a powerful form of media. The effects of television violence on young, impressionable minds have been studied and reveal that television violence has some effect on youth behavior. Fortunately, government officials and television networks have taken steps to limit the amount of violence on TV. They too have recognized the direct link between television viewing and violence.

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In this paper I'm going to go back to some studies conducted, research their findings, and try to and explain how the results on television violence relate to our children's latest violent behavior.

LITERATURE REVIEW I

We as Americans live in a nation where almost all households have at least one television set. Not only is the amount of television being viewed an issue but the content and the lack of parental overview also play an extreme role. In a year, the average child spends 900 hours in school and nearly 1,023 hours in front of a TV. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), kids in the United States watch about 4 hours of TV a day - even though the AAP guidelines say children older than 2 should watch no more than 1 to 2 hours a day of quality programming. (Kids Health). What is even more astonishing that it is estimated that they will have witnessed 8,000 murders and more than 100,000 acts of violence by the time they leave elementary school.

As technology improves and the amount of violent entertainment increases, images becoming more graphic and results in a more realistic portray of violence. Television viewing affects children of different ages in different ways. While children may spend many hours in front of a television set at an early age, the programming has little effect. At the age of two a child will imitate the actions of the live model, example a parent more than a model on television. However by the age of three the child will begin to imitate the TV. characters. The attitudes toward television drastically change over a child's life. When researching the effects of television various points need to be taken into consideration, certain issues affect people in different ways, for example pornography. However, most parents do not realize that whether aggression is presented in a realistic way or in a cartoon, it makes no difference to a child who has a difficult time differentiating between the two.

Though there has always been crime and violence never have there been such extreme acts, as the few which have been committed in the recent years. One very well

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known instance was the brutal death of James Bulger a British toddler. The movie Child's Play 3 was under debate when two ten-year old boys tormented and murdered the child. The Film was then criticized when Suzanne Capper was kidnapped, tortured and set on fire as the group of young acquaintances chanted: "I'm Chucky. Wanna play?"

Another incident was the Columbine massacre. If you want to talk about something that hits closer to home, we'll discuss all the school violence in New Orleans. On September 26, 2000, two students were wounded with the same gun during a fight at Woodson Middle School. On April 14, 2003, one 15- year old was killed and three students wounded at John McDonald High School by gunfire from four teenagers, the motive being gang related. On March 17, 2005, a suspect produced a gun and fired several rounds, striking a 15-year-old male in the right thigh. This incident occurred at O. Perry Walker High School.

After such an event there is always an increase in certain emotions within the community. For example fewer teens feel safe in schools today than shortly after the Columbine killings. Nearly one third of all teens say they have witnessed a violent act at school. Exposure to violence is not believed to increase aggression, but being aggressive increases preference for violent television. Children observe what is considered novel aggressive behavior and learn vicariously that aggressive acts are rewarded. The more the child can relate to the characters in the program the more likely they will be to emulate the characters actions. Not only do the actions of a child reflect the programs viewed but watching a violent program causes desensitization.

There is a widespread agreement that television habits can be harmful. Psychologically speaking the effects can be devastating. A 1993 report by the American Psychological Association stated: Viewing violence increases fear of becoming a victim of violence, with an increase in self- protective behavior and an increase in mistrust, viewing violence increases desensitization to violence, resulting in rough attitudes toward

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violence.

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