How does violence in the media affect children?

How the Violence in Media Affects Children

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May 1, 2011 | By Ed Donner 

Ed Donner is a clinical psychologist and freelance writer. He has performed, presented and published research on a variety of psychological and physical health issues. He has a Bachelor of Science in psychology from Ohio State University, and a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Chicago.

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Children in the United States spend up to 4 hours watching television every day in the 21st century, according to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. Male teenagers, on average, play video games another 60 minutes a day during the week and 90 minutes a day on weekends. Hundreds of studies in the past several decades lead many in the scientific community to the seemingly inexorable conclusion that media violence poses risk of harm to children. Critics of this research question that conclusion and suggest that media violence does not necessarily lead to real-life aggression.

Prevalence of Media Violence

"Science Daily" reports that by age 18, the average American child has seen 200,000 violent acts on television. The Kaiser Family Foundation presents startling statistics on television violence: Almost two of every TV programs portray an average of six violent acts per hour. Violence occurs in 69 percent of children's programming, compared with 57 percent in other programming. Less than 5 percent of programs portray pro-social or anti-violent themes that emphasize consequences or alternatives to violence.

Negative Effects

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation and the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, a burgeoning body of studies suggests that media violence has deleterious effects on children. Cross-sectional, longitudinal and experimental studies all indicate that watching violence on television can heighten the likelihood that children will engage in aggressive or violent behavior. Other documented effects of media violence include loss of empathy for victims, desensitization to violence and acceptance of violence and aggression as reasonable means to solve problems. Media violence also can cause emotional distress in sensitive or young viewers.

Program Characteristics

Certain characteristics of media violence moderate the impact it has on children. Children are more likely to emulate violence and aggression when it is portrayed in a realistic way. Children are less likely to imitate violence in cartoons than in programs that have live actors. Also, the rewards and punishments that the media perpetrators receive influence imitation. If a televised perpetrator of aggression is punished, children are less likely to imitate the aggressive acts. On the other hand, children are more likely to engage in aggressive behavior if the screen violence is portrayed as admirable, heroic or justified.

Child Vulnerability

The Department of Canadian Heritage reports that the developmental age of the viewer influences the effect of televised violence. School-age children, still in the throes of developing a sense of what is real and what isn't, are more influenced by screen violence. Adolescents can better discriminate between reality and television. They have greater independence in judgment and more developed identities, so they are less likely to imitate media violence. Nonetheless, certain teens and children are more vulnerable to influence by television and media violence, including children who have violent fantasies, have identities and values in which self-esteem is based on expression of violence, or who have emotional or behavioral problems.

Social and Environmental Factors

Primary caretakers, peers, siblings, teachers and many other people who comprise a child's social environment influence the child's behavior. If parents, siblings and friends are violent and aggressive, a child is more likely to be violent and aggressive. Conversely, if parents promote pro-social behavior, such as rational problem-solving and negotiation as the best ways to deal with conflict, their children are more disinclined to imitate media violence.

References

• American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry: Children and TV Violence
• Kaiser Family Foundation: TV Violence
• Kids Health: How TV Affects Your Child
• Media Awareness Network: Television Violence: A Review of the Effects on Children of Different Ages
• Science Daily: Study Examines Video Game Play Among Adolescents

Article reviewed by DavidW Last updated on: May 1, 2011