media violenceand children
Media Violence and Children
Rachel Larsen
PSY101: Introduction to Psychology
Instructor: Paul Randall Gesn, Ph.D.
November 24, 2014
Media Violence and Children
I. Violence in television and video games is at an all time high in this day and age. It is easiest to blame all this violence on media for why some children are acting out and for the way that they are acting out. While exposure to these things is not in the best interest for children, it is the responsibility of the parent not the television or video games, to raise their children to be good people. We as parents model what our children learn. Our mental and physical behaviors are what they mimic and expand on as they grow. We know what we want our children to grow up to be like and we shape them that way mentally and physically, even when we don’t know we are doing it. Violence in media is not all to blame.
A. Studies have shown that there are many factors that can cause a child to become violent. Bullying, mistreatment and stress at home are some factors that contribute to violence in children.
B. Children mimic their parents starting at a young age. If the parents’ relationship is violent, the child picks up on that. If a child is abused or picked on while growing up, they learn that abusing others is normal. Even if there is no abuse, if they are raised in a stressed out environment that is going to trigger behavioral problems.
1. “Children learn social skills through imitation: they imitate the way they are treated and the way they see others treated; through their experience of "real life" and getting responses from others and through their play in which they use their creativity and imagination to make sense of life experiences.” (Dogutas A. 2013)
2. “Children spend more time watching television programs than in the classroom or with their parents. That is why television is now termed as a new third parent exercising considerable influence because the direction
Rachel Larsen
PSY101: Introduction to Psychology
Instructor: Paul Randall Gesn, Ph.D.
November 24, 2014
Media Violence and Children
I. Violence in television and video games is at an all time high in this day and age. It is easiest to blame all this violence on media for why some children are acting out and for the way that they are acting out. While exposure to these things is not in the best interest for children, it is the responsibility of the parent not the television or video games, to raise their children to be good people. We as parents model what our children learn. Our mental and physical behaviors are what they mimic and expand on as they grow. We know what we want our children to grow up to be like and we shape them that way mentally and physically, even when we don’t know we are doing it. Violence in media is not all to blame.
A. Studies have shown that there are many factors that can cause a child to become violent. Bullying, mistreatment and stress at home are some factors that contribute to violence in children.
B. Children mimic their parents starting at a young age. If the parents’ relationship is violent, the child picks up on that. If a child is abused or picked on while growing up, they learn that abusing others is normal. Even if there is no abuse, if they are raised in a stressed out environment that is going to trigger behavioral problems.
1. “Children learn social skills through imitation: they imitate the way they are treated and the way they see others treated; through their experience of "real life" and getting responses from others and through their play in which they use their creativity and imagination to make sense of life experiences.” (Dogutas A. 2013)
2. “Children spend more time watching television programs than in the classroom or with their parents. That is why television is now termed as a new third parent exercising considerable influence because the direction
Bibliography: http://www.apa.org/research/action/protect.aspx Violence in the Media — Psychologists Study TV and Video Game Violence for Potential Harmful Effects This study shows the studies performed on violence in TV and video games and the negative affects they have. It shows that children show more signs of violence when exposed to these shows or video games. It doesn’t include things like the way the child’s home life or the way he is interacted with in school if there are any stress factors. It only shows the violence exposure from media. Agarwal, V., & Dhanasekaran, S. (2012). Harmful Effects of Media on Children and Adolescents. Journal Of Indian Association For Child & Adolescent Mental Health, 8(2), 38-45. This is an article that discusses the overuse of media and the effects it has on the behaviors of children. It concludes that all media needs to be monitored by adults in order for these effects to be lessened. Bushman, B. J., Gollwitzer, M., & Cruz, C. (2014). There Is Broad Consensus: Media Researchers Agree That Violent Media Increase Aggression in Children, and Pediatricians and Parents Concur. Psychology Of Popular Media Culture, doi:10.1037/ppm0000046 This was a study done based on information and opinions of pediatricians and parents on whether or not violent media increases aggression in children. They did an anonymous survey and asked which they thought caused more aggression in children. The majority of pediatricians and parents agreed that it did cause increased aggression. However even the researchers felt that there could be some debate on this issue. There is really no way to test this since we can’t let some one cause harm to another. DOGUTAS, A. (2013). The Influence of Media Violence on Children. Bartin University Journal Of Faculty Of Education, 2(1), 107. This article is about limiting and monitoring the television that children are watching. It also talks about the effects that media has on children, but that the blame isn’t all on media.