Violence in Cartoons and Video Games Cause Children to Be Aggressive

Violence in Video Games and Cartoons Causes Children to be Aggressive
Do you know exactly what your children are watching on television or what video games they are playing? The answer to this is simple; most parents leave their children unmonitored when these activities are being performed. Has it ever occurred to parents that cartoons and video games can be taking over young children’s minds? This is a controversial issue, and many want to know does violence shown in cartoons and video games cause children to be aggressive? Throughout the generations cartoon shows and games have changed drastically, so what are children are viewing is in our hands. We may believe the G-rated cartoons and films children are watching are harmless to the child’s mind, but what’s really going on in a four-year-olds head when Jerry is abusing Tom is objects just to escape? To adults it’s just for kicks and giggles, but to children this teaches them that violence is the answer to their problems. They cannot tell the difference between fantasy and reality so everything they see, they will imitate. Parents should always be present to view what there child is watching. Also, when children are watching any violent scenes such as “people roasting in the oven in Hansel and Gretel or being eaten by a Giant in Jack and the Beanstalk” parents should always explain why this scene is not acceptable to their child. “Studies have shown that children watch an average of twenty to twenty-five acts occur each hour on Saturday morning “children program” (M.Y. and V.M.S). It’s strange how children are drawn to those types of program. Sadly, they find violence amusing. Pretty much every toddler has a super hero he looks up to such as batman, and watching that super hero fight, and kill villains will give them the idea that it’s perfectly fine to do the same. We can not stop the media from showing such cartoons on TV, but that doesn’t stop us from talking to them and letting them know that everything that is shown on TV is fiction. We will always wonder “when will children grown out of this?” some kids will, and to others it may never end. Teenagers are video game addicts, and without the game having fighting, killing, and weapon usage it’s just not that fun for these gamers. It has been shown that ninety percent of boys and ten percent of girls play video games. The percentage for women playing is slowly increasing. It wasn't until systems like the Sony PlayStation were released in the 1980s that violence became an issue. Now days it is hard to find a video game that does not involve any type of violence. In order to win the game you have to be an aggressor, and rather then punished in these games you get rewarded for killing an individual. “Young offenders who have committed school shootings in America have also been game players.” (Jenkins, Henry) Game makers target teens, and get them to play their games so they make big bucks. What they do not understand is these video games are causing children to be aggressive in school, home, and other places. Many games have come out throughout time such as, Doom, Wolfenstein 3D or Mortal Kombat, and the list goes on and on. The most famous game that is being sold nowadays is Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. This game is played by players either taking on the role of an US or British soldier, and is sent to the military to defeat dangerous enemies. These images are near lifelike and conduct shootings, and even killings. Now we question ourselves, do we want our children to grow up and be violent towards others? This can even lead to many severe problems like hitting, shooting, and even killing at school. It has happened before, so why are we not sure it will not happen again? This is a topic to really open up to your children about, it’s a serious issue and if violent games keep getting released then it’s a parents jobs to make sure this violence will not be used in reality.
So is the controversial issue Does cartoon and video games cause children to be aggressive true? Some agree, and others disagree that their children do not do such type of behaviors. I believe this is the reason why kids turn out to be aggressive towards one another. By showing them such violence on TV and games we are sending these children the message on how we should treat one another. We can argue on how these cartoons and video games effect our children, but they are still drawn to all this violence. Also, cartoons and video games cannot be stopped, but monitoring, and letting our children know the effects that these games give then, can slim down the aggression they have. Not only are these children the present, but they are our future as well, so we are responsible for every action they pursue.