Television shows, including cartoons and other shows marketed at children, often depict acts of violence. They may show characters shooting, stabbing, punching or bludgeoning each other. Car chases and explosions are commonplace. Young children often do not understand the permanent implications of these types of actions. Television shows depict the injured character as unscathed in a subsequent scene, or they do not address the issues of consequence, death and finality.
Statistics
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics "the average child watches three hours of TV a day," a full hour more than the amount the organization recommends. The Commercial Free Childhood organization reports that children's shows "average 14 violent acts per hour."
Theory
Albert Bandura's theory of observational learning states that one way children learn is by imitating what they see. In Bandura's now-infamous "Bobo doll" studies, children watched videos involving different interactions with a clown, or Bobo doll. After watching the videos, children were released into a room with a doll, and in some variations, a live clown. Children who had watched videos in which the subject was violent toward the clown imitated these actions and beat the doll or clown.
Bandura found that children were very likely to repeat acts of aggression modeled on film, and that cartoonized violence garnered the greatest amount of interest and imitation.
Effects
The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry reports that television violence has a number of negative effects on children. Children develop a sort of "immunity" to violence when they see it as a commonplace occurrence on television. This affects their capacity for empathy and compassion. They often see violence as a solution to real-life conflict. Perhaps most disturbing, children are prone to reenact violent acts they have seen, such as wrestling matches; these reenactments often have disastrous consequences.
Prevention
The AAP recommends several ways to prevent exposure to television violence. Minimize the amount of time your child spends in front of the television by helping her develop other interests. Encourage at-home activities, such as reading and art, as well as extracurricular activities, such as sports and youth clubs. Know where your child is after school, and talk to her friends' parents to find out what kind of programs she is watching when she is not at home. When your child does watch television, make sure it is quality educational programming. Parents can also set parental controls on the television and computer to prevent children from watching inappropriate programming.
Discussion
Parents must play an active role in their child's exposure and reaction to television violence. The AACAP recommends that parents be well aware of the programs children frequently watch, watch television with their children when possible, limit the amount and times during which children may watch television and discuss issues, such as death, crime and the real-life consequences of violence with children.
References
- Turn off Your TV: Filling Their Minds with Death -- TV Violence and Children
- American Academy of Pediatrics: Smart Guide to Kids' TV
- Commercial Free Childhood: Marketing Media Violence
- Educational Psychology Interactive: Observational (Social) Learning- An Overview
- American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: Children and TV Violence
