Effects of Exposure to Media Violence on Children - Essay Example

Running Head: MEDIA VIOLENCE Effects of Exposure to Media Violence on Children Client Inserts His/her Name Client Inserts Name of Institution Media Violence Effects on Children There are various ways in which media violence has been understood by various researchers. According to Ray and Jat (2010), media violence comprises various deleterious acts displayed by various media though televisions, radios, movies, video games, cell phones, computer-based networks and so on. Both positively and negatively, the media has been proved to influence a person’s cognitive, social, health status and behavioural development, to name a few. Delicate as they are, children are at great risk because the media is becomes the key modifier of their adult-age traits. This study attempts to address the children as subjects to media violence. The main objective is to review and evaluate the hypothesis that the media violence exposure is harmful to children. Many researchers of the subject have concluded that indeed the hypothesis is true; however, some scholars find it significant to first evaluate the methodologies used in various related researches in search of a sound conclusiveness (Oakes, 2006). Oakes (2006) finds two methods useful; measuring the exposure levels and measuring the outcomes. The methodology is to determine the level of exposure to media per child and then relating with the outcomes where possible. The category of the children that are considered vulnerable are those that fall between 0 years and just after the end of teenage. These are further categorised into pre-school aged children (age 0 to 6 years) and school going ages. The important aspects of the latter include the performance indices with respect to children’s healthy development and the effect of the adolescence. Exposure Indices to Media Violence According to Jordan (2004), the environment we live in dictates the kind of media a child is to encounter. This encompasses the environment itself, the technological availability and social environment (Jordan, 2004). It is only inevitable that the usage of the media in today’s lifestyles has become a basic spice in our lives the children adapt to what our values are (Ledingham, 1993; Ray & Jat, 2010). Unfortunately, it is equally inevitable to restrict the children from accessing the information dispensed by the media. In fact, most parents are delighted when each member of the family experiences the media (Schmidt et al, 2005). At the same time, most children especially those past preschool age fight to own their own electronics (Tremblay, 2000) such as televisions, mobile phones and computers. To their grief, the parents rush in and support them accordingly. Currently, it has been observed that 80% of the adolescents in the United States own or have daily access to at least a cell phone, television or an internet enhance computer for studies (Ray & Jat, 2010). At the same time, on average, every child in India has more than two hours daily for viewing television (Ray & Jat, 2010). Children’s access to media is also dependent on the social environment that surrounds them. In general, children in the urban or to some extent semi urban environments are taken as more exposed to the media than those in the rural areas (Jordan, 2004). With the growing urban lifestyle irrespective of the geographical placement of a particular household, and what with the growing media options such the internet, most children are exposed to the media at an early age. Children below six years of age, according to Ledingham (1993), are at a learning age and copy everything from what their parents do or provide. Ledingham (1993) reports that with the high literacy on rise, many parents use televisions and/or movies to babysit their children. Be as it may, the problem is not the exposure to the media but exposure to violent programs in the media. Alongside the provision of access to media as the statistics above indicate, undoubtedly children come across violent media programs. Violent Programs Media violent programs occur in different forms. The determinant of a program as being violent to some extent exist in haziness of a kind and many a times it depends on the moral setting and the socialism around which tend to control the limits to an individual. For example, the parents are the key determinants of how violent a program can be depending on his or her values. However, any program that can potentially change a good behaviour into a bad one is considered violent. This includes display of physical violence between individuals, display of sexually immoral content, programs with direct or indirect effects on body health and so on. Effects Children below six years According to Heather (2008), children belonging to this age gap are at learning stage. They copy and store what they see each day. In say a program involving violent relations among family members, a young child easily believes in whatever he or she sees and in an attempt to emulate the role players, a child may gradually change his or her way of communicating. For example, he or she may turn aggressive if he or she sees that aggressive people win on a particular medium. At the same time, if the program is educative, the media positively serves as a mind sharpener (Heather, 2008). The key role of the parent is to determine the kind of media that suits little children. Children beyond school going age but younger than teenagers This category consists of inquisitive individuals who want to know details of anything they hear, see and/or come across. Still, they cannot get enough. They are eager to discover how the world of the adults operates (O’Keeffe, 2011). Once in front of the television, for example, they can sit around the whole day watching programs after programs. Many parents in urban areas provide such children with video games, internet enhanced computers to aid in academic work, cell phones and movies. The impact of these provisions, which is mostly gradual (Heather, 2008), translates to greatly disoriented behaviour. For example, movies alter children at this age whereby children directly adopt the behaviour displayed by his or her favourite character, unlike the younger children who only stores data to use later (Leningham, 1993). Sharif and Sargent (2006) suggest another way to display the harmful effects of exposure to the media. They indicate that the children who spend a lot of time watching a movie, playing video games or in front the television does not necessarily fail in their academic performances. They add that academic performance, according to a research conducted in the United States, does not rely on the time for watching media. However, Anderson (2004), although focusing on the adolescents, says that most adolescents lose their academic vitality as they are captivated by dirty contents on the internet. As much as the violent programs may be termed as misleading the children by many researchers, most other researchers feel that it all depends on the purpose for which access to the media is intended by both the children and their parents (Anderson et al, 2003). For example, for those children who demand say a computer with a view to uplifting their grades at school, most likely they prove better results from the usage of the internet. Adolescents Adolescents are the most difficult stage of a child for a parent to control (O’Keeffe, 2011). According to Anderson et al (2003), adolescents consider themselves mature, able to independently make decisions. Exposure to many kinds of the media renders them immune to any guidance; they believe they know it all. This is a direct influence of previous exposure to different media that come with different implications. Coupled with various biological changes in their bodies, some of the programs are typically dangerous to the health of an adolescent. To start with, spending lots of their free time watching a movie or browsing the social networks among other networks of interest, they tend to grow lazy and resistant to various comments by their parents. This is highly related to abnormal body weight increase. Anderson (2004), states that more than 3% of all adolescents in Australia are obese. Eating habits also change what with the various foodstuffs advertised virtually in all types of the available media. Like with the above category, adolescents are still in the need to discover more about their beliefs and feelings as they turn into adulthood. From various programs in the media, they will easily try to adopt traits of viewed characters. This way, the track their beliefs and feelings could have naturally followed is altered. They grow out of their original niche and there arises real trouble when one tries to intervene with the ‘original’ ideologies or values. An individual may turn more aggressive than before. Still, some of programs in the media are morally misdirecting. The internet and the social websites or networks are open to anyone (Tremblay, 2000). As a result, an adolescent possessing a computer that is enhanced with internet is definitely open to sexually immoral content without any barrier. Such exposure may lead to completely altered sexual life of the individual. The intensions by children to possess any type of media technology can be as well beneficial (Malhi, 2006). Malhi (2006) contends that it is the moral and social environment set by the parent that justifies the purpose for which the media may be needed by one. Some of the so called violent contents are in reality beneficial to the growth of the child (Tremblay, 2000). The failure that arises while tracing the impact of media violence is that most researchers only focus on the negative effects (Leningham, 1993). Conclusion It is only safe to say that today; access to media has become a necessary domain, inseparable from our lives. The great worry is the presence of various harmful media contents that are likely to trigger changes to the behaviours of our growing children (Schmidt et al, 2005). Many researchers find the ultimate nature of the effect of exposure to violent contents of the media dependent on an individual. However, the individual setting in this case comprises children who are barely within the learning stages of their lives. Easy to be swayed by the media content behaviour-wise (Oakes, 2006), and given their innocence, only the parents have the mandate to control the level up to which their respective children are exposed to violent media contents. References Anderson, C. A., Berkowitz, L., Donnerstein, E., Huesmann, L. R., Johnson, J., Linz, D., Malamuth, N., & Wartella, E. (2003). The influence of media violence on youth. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 4, 81-110. Jordan, A. (2004). The role of media in children’s development: An ecological perspective. Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 25, 196-206. Tremblay, R. E. (2000). The development of aggressive behaviour during childhood: What have we learnt in the last century? International Journal of Behavioral Development, 24, 129- 141. Schmidt, M.E., Bickham, D., King, B., Slaby, R., Branner, A.C., & Rich, M. (2005). The Effects of Electronic Media on Children Ages Zero to Six: A History of Research. The Center on Media and Child Health, p2-11. Ledingham, J.E. (1993). The Effects of Media Violence on Children. Ottawa: Health and Welfare Canada. pp3-15. Ray, M. & Jat, K.R. (2010). Effect of Electronic Media on Children. Indian Paediatrics, 47, pp560-6. Malhi, P. (2006). Adolescent violence exposure, gender issues and impact. Indian Pediatr, 43, pp607-612. Oakes, J.M. (2006). The Effect of Media on Children: a methodological assessment from a social epidemiologist. Workshop on Media Research Methods and Measures, pp2-21. O’Keeffe, G.S. (2011). Clinical Report – The Impact of Social Media on Children, adolescents and Families. Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, pp800-803. Heather, L.K. (2008). Media and Young Children’s Learning. The Future of the Children, 18(1); pp39-53. Anderson, C. A. (2004). Violence in the media: Its effects on Children. An edited transcript of a seminar presented on September 11, 2003, in Melbourne, Australia. Glenelg, South Australia: Young Media Australia. Pp16-25. Sharif, I., & Sargent, J.D. (2006). Association between television, movie and video game exposure and school performance. Pediatrics, 118; e1061-e1070. Read More

At the same time, on average, every child in India has more than two hours daily for viewing television (Ray & Jat, 2010). Children’s access to media is also dependent on the social environment that surrounds them. In general, children in the urban or to some extent semi urban environments are taken as more exposed to the media than those in the rural areas (Jordan, 2004). With the growing urban lifestyle irrespective of the geographical placement of a particular household, and what with the growing media options such the internet, most children are exposed to the media at an early age.

Children below six years of age, according to Ledingham (1993), are at a learning age and copy everything from what their parents do or provide. Ledingham (1993) reports that with the high literacy on rise, many parents use televisions and/or movies to babysit their children. Be as it may, the problem is not the exposure to the media but exposure to violent programs in the media. Alongside the provision of access to media as the statistics above indicate, undoubtedly children come across violent media programs.

Violent Programs Media violent programs occur in different forms. The determinant of a program as being violent to some extent exist in haziness of a kind and many a times it depends on the moral setting and the socialism around which tend to control the limits to an individual. For example, the parents are the key determinants of how violent a program can be depending on his or her values. However, any program that can potentially change a good behaviour into a bad one is considered violent.

This includes display of physical violence between individuals, display of sexually immoral content, programs with direct or indirect effects on body health and so on. Effects Children below six years According to Heather (2008), children belonging to this age gap are at learning stage. They copy and store what they see each day. In say a program involving violent relations among family members, a young child easily believes in whatever he or she sees and in an attempt to emulate the role players, a child may gradually change his or her way of communicating.

For example, he or she may turn aggressive if he or she sees that aggressive people win on a particular medium. At the same time, if the program is educative, the media positively serves as a mind sharpener (Heather, 2008). The key role of the parent is to determine the kind of media that suits little children. Children beyond school going age but younger than teenagers This category consists of inquisitive individuals who want to know details of anything they hear, see and/or come across. Still, they cannot get enough.

They are eager to discover how the world of the adults operates (O’Keeffe, 2011). Once in front of the television, for example, they can sit around the whole day watching programs after programs. Many parents in urban areas provide such children with video games, internet enhanced computers to aid in academic work, cell phones and movies. The impact of these provisions, which is mostly gradual (Heather, 2008), translates to greatly disoriented behaviour. For example, movies alter children at this age whereby children directly adopt the behaviour displayed by his or her favourite character, unlike the younger children who only stores data to use later (Leningham, 1993).

Sharif and Sargent (2006) suggest another way to display the harmful effects of exposure to the media. They indicate that the children who spend a lot of time watching a movie, playing video games or in front the television does not necessarily fail in their academic performances. They add that academic performance, according to a research conducted in the United States, does not rely on the time for watching media. However, Anderson (2004), although focusing on the adolescents, says that most adolescents lose their academic vitality as they are captivated by dirty contents on the internet.

As much as the violent programs may be termed as misleading the children by many researchers, most other researchers feel that it all depends on the purpose for which access to the media is intended by both the children and their parents (Anderson et al, 2003).

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