Violence in Television: How it Affects the Youth

Violence in Television: How it Affects the Youth

Nowadays, it is extremely rare not to see some form of violence in the media, particularly television. No matter what kind of movie or show it is, violence is commonplace. Whether it is fictional or real, physical or psychological, toned down or unadulterated; it is unarguably ubiquitous. With the large amount of violence featured in television, the one question on many parents' minds is; does this inevitably influence the youth to become violent?

The television is a formidable influential factor in one's development and growth as a person, especially if it is a child or an adolescent. Unfortunately, violence is what we are frequently witnessing on the television and most of it is presented in ways which increase the chances of gleaning negative effects. There have been thousands of studies about the effects television can have on the youth. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, "children can become immune or numb to the horror of violence, begin to accept violence as a way to solve problems, imitate the violence they observe on televisions, and identify with certain characters; victims and/or victimizers." Children and adolescents, whether or not they have a background of violence, are highly likely to imitate what they see and could become influenced by television, and the impact of this could either go manifest immediately or go unnoticed only to surface many years later.

In this day and age, it's nearly impossible to protect the youth from bad influences and the negative consequences which arise from succumbing to it but it's not impossible to prevent the negative consequences from constant exposure. I believe that parents have a duty to monitor and moderate the movies and shows their children are watching, and establish rules about television-watching such as how often and how long they can watch for. Watching television with children and explaining to them about what happens on screen, particularly if it involves controversial or inappropriate content is also ideal and will contribute greatly. Parents should also encourage their children to spend their time on hobbies and other extracurricular activities, which is much more beneficial in the long run. By doing these, I believe that parents will be setting a good example for the youth.

Acting immediately regarding this issue is ideal because the television is unavoidable. The violence it features will inevitably find its way to the youth and could influence them to become violent themselves. However, it is very much possible to prevent the negative consequences which arise from this with proper love and support from the parents.

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References:

1. Facts for families: Children and TV violence. (2011, March). Retrieved July 16, 2015, from http://www.aacap.org/App_Themes/AACAP/docs/facts_for_families/13_children_and_tv_violence.pdf