Violence in the Media Contributes to Behavior in Children - Research Paper Example

Does violence in the media contribute to violent behavior in children? “Children will watch anything, and when a broadcaster uses crime and violence and other shoddy devices to monopolize a child’s attention, it’s worse than taking candy from a baby. It is taking precious time from the process of growing up”. Newton Minow, NY Post, 19 June 61 Introduction: Contemporary world is engulfed with the overwhelming presence of media in almost all aspects of our daily lives. In fact, the reach and access to the same has expanded like never before, thus exposing children to varied forms of violent and aggression via the popular media – including television, the internet, as well as video games, which has caught children’s attention worldwide. It is estimated that children today, spend approximately seven hours a day on an average on entertainment including televisions, and other electronic devices (AAP, 2012). According to the statistics made available by the National Center for Children Exposed to Violence (2012) on average children up to the age of 18 years are exposed to approximately 200,000 acts of violence via television. There have been extensive debates regarding the influence and impact of media violence on children and the credibility of studies establishing and indicating a strong relationship between the two, over the years (Trend, 2007). Such literature is extensive and comprehensive with regards to analyzing the various issues related to the role played by the media in influencing aggressive behavior in children along with other harmful side-effects such as a negative impact on their cognitive development; behavioral and developmental issues; sleep disturbances etc (Anderson and Bushman 2002; Anderson and Pempek 2005; Escobar-Chaves et al. 2005; Funk 2005; Paik and Comstock 1994; Savage 2004). This paper aims to discuss these issues at length and explore the credibility of the hypothesis, whether violence portrayed on television or in the popular media, leads to violent and aggressive behavior in children. This hypothesis is sought to be substantiated by way of a comprehensive coverage of research and literature, both affirming and negating the claims. Thus offering a balanced view on the subject, and allowing for a neutral and unbiased conclusion. Media violence and its impact on children: The subject of media violence and its impact on children has been a key area of concern among researchers and policy makers alike, and has resulted in varying degrees of outcomes ranging from highly critical views to more liberal and non-conformist ones. These debates have been largely influenced by the revolutionary change in the media content, aimed at children; which includes uninhibited telecast of highly graphic and violent content in popular children’s movies such as Harry Potter which deals with Satanism, dungeons and slaying of dragons; the Ninja Turtles; as well as various other villain-slashing super-hero movies (Kirsh, 2006; Heilman, 2009; Dill, 2009). There have been serious concerns which were raised and eventually subsided, regarding the inclusion and heroic portrayal of rebelliousness and violence in popular children’s programming; and the ethicality of the same. Advocates and critics have put forward extensive research based views, affirming and negating the hypothesis. The issue of media violence is highly controversial and there has been no common consensus so far. According to some researchers, constant exposure of children to violent content on television, such as shooting, bombings etc., desensitizes them and hampers their emotional development. Furthermore it is also stated that such exposure may possibly influence them to use it as a normal response when faced with stressful situations. It is also suggested that continuous exposure to violence and violent images, is likely to evoke feelings of fear, anxiety and trauma among children thus resulting in sleeplessness. Some children may find it difficult to differentiate between real and reel life events, thus causing developmental setbacks (Bryant & Oliver, 2009; Gentile, 2003). The dangerous impact of exposure to violent content on television, is described differently by different researchers. According to Anderson et al., (2003), the negative impacts of exposure to media violence is akin to that of smoking or consumption of tobacco, both of which result in life threatening consequences such as lung cancer (Bushman & Anderson, 2001). On the other hand, some other group of scholars, researchers and critics of this hypothesis have suggested otherwise. They have claimed and established through empirical studies, that there is no substantial link between exposure to media violence and the negative impact on children’s behavior. Furthermore they have also stated that all studies claiming to have established a positive relationship between the two are either mismanaged or are inconsistent, and that such findings are not supported by any of the existing theories crime statistics involving children (Freedman, 2002; Olson, 2004; Savage, 2004). Behavioral and emotional impacts: Exposure to violent images and content on television, leads to development of bitterness and hostility among the children, which elicits harsh and intensely emotional responses and reactions when faced with difficult and taxing situations. The repeated exposure to such violent content over a prolonged period of time, results in a serious fall in their emotional responses and desensitizes them towards the emotions and feelings of those around them. There have studies which have highlighted the disturbing results and after effects of viewing violent content, suggesting that due to their desensitization towards others feelings, children often respond and react late while calling their elders and / or parents to intervene in case of physical altercation between their peers and friends (Cline, Croft, and Courrier, 1973; Molitor & Hirch, 1994). There are studies which have established that continuous exposure to violence in the media hampers the emotional development in children, leading to reduction in feelings of sympathy towards others, for instance, in cases involving domestic abuse (Mullin & Linz, 1995). Neurological & other developmental impacts: Neurologists have argued that extensive exposure to violent television programs and other aggressive content by children, for over five hours a day, is likely to result cognitive impairment of the child. The images portrayed by the visual electronic media containing high amount of violence and acts of hostility, accustoms the viewers towards the suffering of others, and makes it acceptable as a part of their reality. It hampers their emotional development and results in apathetic behavior towards others, often causing them to act aggressively even at minor irritations. In case of children, most of their experiences are formed on the basis of their observations of their surrounding environment. Their brain draws vital cues from their limbic system, which continues to grow and develop till the age of six or seven years; after which their cerebral cortex begins to form and establish connections. This entire process takes places in the right side of the brain, which is known to be dominant while watching television (Schneider, 2008). The limbic system is believed to slow down, due to the constant exposure to violence in the media, which hampers their emotional development in the later years, since a strong limbic system is a natural defense of the body which acts as a shield against the negative impacts of such contents, and prevents anxiety. However, in the absence of such strong limbic system, the children are likely to grow up to be highly aggressive and hostile, and apathetic towards the feelings and sufferings of others around them, thus threatening to disrupt the moral fabric of the society we live in. According to Valkenburg (2001), the anxiety hypothesis suggests that the feelings of fear and anxiety triggered by exposure to violent content in the media, reduces the power of imagination among children. The television images restrict the power to imagine, since everything is presented to them on a platter, thus leaving them no scope to be creative and visualize things, differently. According to another study on the use of violent content in primetime programs, it was observed that most of the shows included depiction of violent scenes wherein the heroes or the good guys beat up the bad ones, and they were rarely reprimanded for their behavior. Furthermore it was also observed that such depiction hardly caused any major damage and that the characters portrayed did not show any signs of change or remorse. It has been established that, violent programs on television and other visual media, indirectly teach the children that there is no alternative to violence, and that most of the problems can be tackled through violence and aggression. The depiction of violence in the media, has in a way, legitimized the use of aggression, thus undermining the ethics and morality of the society, towards such behavior (Gunter & McAleer, 1997). The children who blindly worship their idols on-screen who are portrayed to be engaging in violent behavior, are influenced by them, and even try to imitate the same in their real lives, since they are led to believe that violence is a natural and legitimate response to resolving issues (Giles, 2003). It has also been observed that children’s heroes often engage in violence despite there being no need or reason for the same. Such careless depiction of violence, particularly in cases where the violence on the part of the heroes, are unwarranted, leads the children to enact the same in their lives, and accept it as a valid response to situations, or merely to look ‘cool’. Theoretical Perspectives: There are two key approaches to understand the relationship between media violence and its likely impact on the viewers. These include the social learning theory and the catharsis model. For the purpose of this study the various models of social learning theory such as the general aggression model and the social learning theory of imitation will be discussed in the following section: According to the general aggression model of social learning, individuals learn to react aggressively and violently by watching violent content on the visual media (Bushman & Huesmann, 2001; Bushman & Anderson, 2001). It also suggests that those individuals who are exposed to violence for prolonged periods of time, are more likely to respond violently in their real lives. Although the biological and personality differences are contested by various researchers, criticizing this claim, the general reaction is largely observed to be similar in most cases. The catharsis model states that the drive to react violently is essentially a biological trait and is derived from one’s inner desire to respond aggressively to situations (Kirsch, 2006). This model suggests that such a drive to react violently may be reduced by constant exposure to violence in the media, particularly in people who are biologically driven towards aggression. Thus, indicating that exposure to violence does have a positive influence on some people. However, this model is highly criticized by various researchers and scholars across the board, and is no longer considered credible to validate such hypothesis associated with media violence (Bushman, 2002). Social learning theory: Imitation According to Cullingford (1984) most of the research concerning media violence affords the establishment of a direct link between exposure to violence on television and indulging in violent acts in real life. The social learning theory suggests that children are adept at learning through imitation, and hence exposure to violence motivates them to imitate the same in their real lives (Dorr, 1986). This claim is based on observation of various studies and surveys, carried out over the years, whereby it is clearly established that in case of children, what they see is on television, what they imitate (Cullingford, 1984). Furthermore, Siegal (1974) has stated that most of human behavior is a result of imitation and the learning process in humans occurs purely through observing others around us. This is particularly true in case of our early development; hence children are far more likely to imitate the occurrences and events in their surrounding environment as compared to adults. Conclusion: The various studies and researches conducted over the years, indicate that the hypothesis suggesting a likely relationship between media violence and its negative impact on children is highly controversial, and cannot be established conclusively. This is mostly on account of the wide ranging disparities in the conclusions, as well as the general lack of consensus among researchers regarding the ill effects of the same. In conclusion, although there are certain indicators which point to a likely negative influence on children, due to depiction of violence in the media, there are on the other hand, similar observations which negate the same. References: Anderson, C. A. and B. J. Bushman. (2002)."Psychology. The effects of media violence on society." Science 295:2377-9. Anderson, D. R., Pempek, T. A., (2005). "Television and very young children." American Behavioral Scientist 48:505-522. Anderson, C., Berkowitz, L., Donnerstein, E., Heusmann, L. R., Johnson, J., Linz, D., et al. (2003). The influence of media violence on youth. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 4, 81–110. Bryant, J., Oliver, M. B., (2009). Media effects: Advances in theory and research. Taylor & Francis Publication, pp. 270-72 Bushman, B. 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