Effects of Media Violence On Children After the Newtown shooting it was reported that the shooter spent vast amount of time playing violent videogames, could some of the recent violent tragedies be a result of overexposure to violence during adolescence? There has been a long disputed issue on whether violence, that is so prevalent in the media, is having effects on children. While it is farfetched to assume that exposure to violent movies creates serial killers, there have been studies that point to correlation between violent media and aggression. The author of this paper will be discussing: How adults generally view the issue of children being exposed to violent media, effects of violence on children, and limiting exposure to violence.
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Most houses have televisions, computers, video game stations, and many other forms of media to the point where it is everywhere. This can be problematic as it easy for children to access anything so it is, so to the parent to try to determine what is age appropriate. The beliefs on whether media has an effect on children will likely influence how strict they are with regulating what their child sees. In an experiment conducted by Cruz, Bushman, and Gollwitzer, many adults consisting of average parents, pediatricians, psychologists and other occupations that revolve around child care were given surveys on their thoughts on violent media (Bushman, Gollwitzer, & Cruz, 2015). The results of this study showed more than 60% strongly believed violent media increases aggression in children, with video games yielding the highest percentage of adults who thought they caused increased aggressive behavior (Bushman, Gollwitzer, & Cruz). Despite these beliefs. These beliefs mainly stem from what the media says about the issue. While the consensus of adults seems to blindly link aggression and media violence there is actually a division between researchers. A small percentage of researchers believe that media only has a negative effect on those with preexisting personality or mental disorders (Bushman, Gollwitzer, & Cruz, 2015). Just like with most things there is still disagreement but for the most part there is agreement that …show more content…
Children are the future and it is important to not culminate an atmosphere of aggression as that will have a major effect on where society goes. While some may choose to deny the correlation between violent media and aggression it is better to be on the safe side and try to prevent excessive exposure to violence. It is worth taking note what the general belief about media violence is among adults, the effects of media violence on children, and how to prevent too much exposure as well as the effects of violence. While it is ultimately up to the parents to decide what is best for their children, they should at least be informed about this important issue before making a
Most houses have televisions, computers, video game stations, and many other forms of media to the point where it is everywhere. This can be problematic as it easy for children to access anything so it is, so to the parent to try to determine what is age appropriate. The beliefs on whether media has an effect on children will likely influence how strict they are with regulating what their child sees. In an experiment conducted by Cruz, Bushman, and Gollwitzer, many adults consisting of average parents, pediatricians, psychologists and other occupations that revolve around child care were given surveys on their thoughts on violent media (Bushman, Gollwitzer, & Cruz, 2015). The results of this study showed more than 60% strongly believed violent media increases aggression in children, with video games yielding the highest percentage of adults who thought they caused increased aggressive behavior (Bushman, Gollwitzer, & Cruz). Despite these beliefs. These beliefs mainly stem from what the media says about the issue. While the consensus of adults seems to blindly link aggression and media violence there is actually a division between researchers. A small percentage of researchers believe that media only has a negative effect on those with preexisting personality or mental disorders (Bushman, Gollwitzer, & Cruz, 2015). Just like with most things there is still disagreement but for the most part there is agreement that …show more content…
Children are the future and it is important to not culminate an atmosphere of aggression as that will have a major effect on where society goes. While some may choose to deny the correlation between violent media and aggression it is better to be on the safe side and try to prevent excessive exposure to violence. It is worth taking note what the general belief about media violence is among adults, the effects of media violence on children, and how to prevent too much exposure as well as the effects of violence. While it is ultimately up to the parents to decide what is best for their children, they should at least be informed about this important issue before making a