IS MEDIA VIOLENCE HARMFUL TO CHILDREN?

Is Media Violence Harmful to Children?

Kirsh (2006) reports that children are, on average, exposed to between 6 and 7 hours of media each day where media includes television, video, movies, video games, print, radio, computer and Internet programs. While the exact amount of violence in these media are difficult to assess, Kirsh states that a significant proportion of these media present violence and violent images. Moreover, a national study conducted by the University of California's Center for Communication and Social Policy (1998) that evaluated for the effects of 10,000 hours of broadcast programming, videos, and video games from 1995 through 1997 found that interpersonal violence was often portrayed in either an entertaining or glamorized manner. In addition, it was observed that the heroes in stories were often likely to use violence to resolve problems.

Findings such as those delineated above have led to speculation as to whether media violence does harm to children. The thesis of this paper is that media violence does harm children in several different ways. The next section of this paper presents the pertinent research in the area.

Research on the Effects of Media Violence on Children

According to Freedman (2002) it is not media violence itself that harms children but rather their prolonged exposure to it. When exposure is long enough, media violence will, Freedman states, harm children in a variety of ways. First, it will harm chi

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presented violence can mitigate any harm it might cause. For example, Strasburger and Donnerstein (2000) report that the context can make the difference between whether children learn about violence or learn to be violent. If the costs of violence are also portrayed in the media, children will often come to understand that violence is to be avoided in that it causes loss, suffering, and sadness. However, if the violence is shown simply for entertainment with no attention to its devastating consequences, then children are more likely to learn to engage in it and even to develop positive feelings about hurting others. Strasburger and Donnerstein (2000) also note that another harmful effect media violence can have on children and adolescents is to make them feel that the world is filled with harm and danger. To the extent that this view takes root, children can suffer from anxiety, depression and even posttraumatic stress. Feldman (2006) states that children learn by watching others enact behavioral scripts and television presents repeated violent scripts. This therefore increases children's feelings of aggression and hostility. If they actively participate in violent scenarios such as they often do in video games, then they

Category: Psychology - I