Media Violence and Its Effect on Children

Media Violence and its Effect on Children

In this day and age we are constantly bombarded by media in all forms. Billboard ads greet us at every turn. Almost every new car is equipped with satellite radio. Cable television offers programming 24 hours a day and unlimited, unrestricted content is available via the Internet. We can even access TV, movies, video games, and the Internet on any number of mobile devices ensuring we never need go without a connection to media. It then stands to reason that the content of this media has a significant impact on us. This is especially true concerning the development of children. While many societal factors may negatively influence a child's development, it is undeniable that the presence of violence in television, movies, and video games has severe long-term effects.

Incidents such as the Columbine, Virginia Tech, and Westside Middle School shootings have prompted an old question asked anew. What are the effects of media violence on children and adolescents? Many studies have been conducted over the years researching the effects of media violence on children, all with similar results; it is psychologically and emotionally harmful to some degree. Yet the purveyance of violence in television, movies, and video games continues to increase.

Television is perhaps the most accessible medium available to young children. Many parents permit and even encourage the viewing of television programs by their children, most often as a substitute babysitter. James P. Steyer , a former TV producer and author states, “The other parent in kids’ lives today truly is the media” (as cited in Kruger, 2003, para. 3). He references “studies that show the average child now uses media 47 hours a week, compared to 17 hours spent with their parents” (Kruger, 2003, para. 3). With children using media so often with so little parental influence, it is disconcerting that “children between 0 and 6 years of age spend an average of...