PowerPoint presentation

Alawi PAGE 6

Mustafa Alawi

COMM-2200

Hobbe, B

May-26-2015

Media Violence and Children

A. Introduction

1. Today, with the media fast becoming an indispensable part of life for people of all ages, its impact, both positive and negative, cannot be undermined.

2. Portrayal of violence in media is always a disturbing issue and a matter of controversy; however its influence on the youth and children can be extremely adverse (Kotrla, 51).

3. It is not easy to define violence on television, magazines and even in playstations which are increasingly becoming popular among children.

4. From the perspective of children anything that signals aggressiveness can be violence ranging from heated arguments in chat shows to fight between two cartoon characters.

5. Despite the detrimental aspects of media, it is extremely influential in human progress and there is an urgent need to address media’s responsibility towards society, especially children, to make the media more approachable in the modern world (Meganck, 50; Felson, 103).

B. Impact on children

1. Since the advent of television and video games for children, it has become a matter of concern for parents, teachers and psychologists regarding the impact of media violence on children considering the fact that young children are inclined toward emulating the actions depicted on television.

2. Research has shown that there are three major impacts on children: First, children become emotionally immune to the pain of others; Second, children cultivate a fear about their surroundings, and third, children tend to develop aggressiveness and can tend to harm others. “Many of the most popular video games, such as “Call of Duty” and “Grand Theft Auto,” are violent; however, as video game technology is relatively new, there are fewer empirical studies of video game violence than other forms of media violence” (APA).

3. Sex and violence in media have increased to a very large extent ever since the inception of modern technologies.

4. A different perspective is needed in order to extract a sense of reality out of films and movies. This evil element has also been spreading to various forms of media such as magazines and playstations (Fedorov, 57).

5. Parents and teachers across the globe argue that media portrayals are able to dictate the moral perspective of the society, especially the young generation.

6. There is little tolerance for sex and violence among parents, and so media needs to consider making changes (Kotrla, 51).

7. The current generation of children can imbibe unethical behaviour from the lessons they acquire from the media and consider such behavior as normal. A more subtle approach towards portraying these vices is necessary to secure a bright future for children (Kotrla, 51).

8. In addition, children need education on how to view sex and violence portrayed in the media to protect them from harmful impacts (Kotrla, 51).

9. The violence and aggression that are constantly being depicted in televisions and playstation games cause children to view violence as form of entertainment (Felson, 104).

10. The harmful information that media is conveying is adversely shaping the society and negatively influencing the psychology of children. A majority of the children will grow up with their behaviours getting influenced by the lessons they acquire from the media (Felson, 104).

11. According to a 15 year long survey conducted by University of Michigan, aggressive and violent behaviour in children caused by watching TV can continue in their adulthood. In another 17 year long survey it was found that violent acts are more common in teenage boys who have watched excessive TV than those who have not (Boyse, 2010).

12. Ever since media has been synonymous with providing information, entertainment or education in realistic fashion, there have been numerous laws and regulations in the United States that protect and govern the media -- movie makers in the United States have been subjected to court room battles to retain the identity and originality of their films for depicting sex and violence (Meganck, 50).

13. Similarly, it is illegal in some states to sell print media with nudity or violence to under age children (Gauntlett, 90).

C. Recommendations

1. As part of responsibility towards the young viewers, media has many options to reduce the impact of sex and violence on the public.

2. State should employ strong viewership restrictions on entertainment and information with instances of sex and violence.

3. Measures should include indicating viewership of violent and sexual materials in the media to be approached by users according to their age. It will help to reduce the number of youth with access to media that can adversely affect their behavior (Jones, 45).

4. Enforcing appropriate restrictions will eventually reduce the popularity of movies with sex and violence (Jones, 45).

5. With less movies made on these subjects, the young generation will be spared from watching these negative elements on the screen. Thus, negative impacts from such movies can be reduced on the youth who heavily indulge their time in watching movies.

D. Conclusion

1. There are varied views on what is suitable and what is not suitable for children along with criticisms about group rights regarding censorship.

2. Censorship also has the power to encourage or discourage freedom to read among children individually and collectively.

3. Media shapes the attitudes and opinions of children depending on the message they portray. They can inject different negative sentiments in society.

4. Excessive violence will prompt young viewers to do the same, as they have limited sensibilities to judge between right and wrong.

5. The media is extremely influential in determining the behaviours and characters of the young members of society.

Works Cited

APA “Television and Video Violence”, American Psychological Association, 2015, May 25, 2015 from: http://www.apa.org/action/resources/research-in-action/protect.aspx

Boyse, Kyle. “Television and Children”. Univ. of Michigan. August 2010, May 25, 2015 from: http://www.med.umich.edu/yourchild/topics/tv.htm

Fedorov, Alexander. Children and Media Violence: Comparative Analysis, Saarbrucken, Germany: Lambert Academic Publishing, 2010

Felson, Richard. “Mass Media Effects On Violent Behavior”, Annual Review of Sociology, 22 (1996) 103–28

Gauntlett, David. Moving Experiences, second edition: Media Effects and Beyond, London: John Libbey, 2005

Jones, Gerard. Killing monsters: why children need fantasy, super heroes and make-believe violence, New York: Basic Books, 2002

Kotrla, Bowie. “Sex and Violence: Is Exposure to Media Content Harmful to Children?” The Journal of the Association for Library Service to Children, 5.2 (2007) 50-52

Meganck, Shana. Sex and Violence in Advertising, Richmond: Virginia Commonwealth University, 2007