The Effects of Media Violence and the Debate of How to Solve the Problem

Casey The Effects of Media Violence and the Debate of how to Solve the Problem Violent and aggressive behavior show up everywhere from popular video games, movies, to television shows, all of which young children have access to watch. People are also able to interact with these violent types of media as video games take center stage. Video game players are able to mutilate, kill and destroy items, ranging from buildings to streets with bombs, and use of guns and other weaponries throughout a game scene. In fact, that is how some games are won, as whichever player kills the most opponents wins the round. Multiple psychological studies are showing that aggressive gaming is affecting children so much so that the American Academy of Pediatrics has concluded that "playing violent video games leads to adolescent violence" (Media 1). The amount of violence throughout the media is setting generations of adolescents to be aggressive and violent. It is becoming obvious that the question is not how media violence is affecting children, but how to counter the effects. Parents need to be informed of the potential dangers this type of media can have on a child to enable them to take the right steps to reduce the exposure children are susceptible to. If children are taught early by parents and throughout school programs that violence shown throughout the media is fictional and not a common occurrence, it may decrease the aggressive tendencies in children that are occurring as a result from such media. As the issue the effects media violence have carries obvious importance many studies have been conducted researching problems it causes on children behavioral development. One such study, displayed in the AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS, found that the average American child aged 2 to 18 spends an average of 6 hours and 32 minutes using media each day (Media Violence, 1). This finding was then correlated with later research, which showed behavior shown after

Citations: Media Violence. AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS, 1 Nov. 2001. Web. 27 Mar. 2013. <http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/108/5/1222.full#content-block> Chivers, Tom Aggression." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 02 Aug. 2011. Web. 03 May 2013. Neal, Rome. "Media Violence Good For Children?" CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 11 Feb. 2009. Web. 03 May 2013 of Experimental Social Psychology (2009), doi: 10.1016/j.jesp.2009.04.005 Web. 03May 2013 http://peer.ccsd.cnrs.fr/docs/00/68/77/25/PDF/PEER_stage2_10.1016%252Fj.jesp.2009.04.005.pdf