Television violence is becoming more common in today's society. News reports include violent crime, and an increasing number of television shows include violence as a form of entertainment, sometimes depicting crime or sometimes glamorizing violence with the "hero" emerging triumphant. This increase raises a number of concerns about how exposure to this violence affects the developing minds of children.
Development
Television shows and media have a profound influence on children and their mental development from an early age. Alice Honig and Donna Wittmer conducted a 1992 study entitled "Prosocial Development in Children." The results supported the theory that children develop ideas about how to express emotions initially through social interaction and then later by watching television or movies. Television role models who demonstrate violent behavior on a regular basis lead to the risk of children emulating this behavior and believing it is acceptable.
Columbine
Television violence and its impact on children came under intense scrutiny after the tragedy of the 1999 Columbine High School massacre. Many reports in the media pointed to the influence of violent computer games and films watched on television on the mindset of the killers. At the time, CBS President Leslie Moonves stated that "anyone who thinks the media has nothing to with [the massacre] is an idiot."
Aggressive Behavior
The American Psychological Association reported the results of a study of youths by L. Rowell Huesmann, Jessica Moise-Titus, Cheryl-Lynn Podolski and Leonard Eron performed through the University of Michigan from 1977 to 1992. The results showed that men who viewed high levels of television violence as children were significantly more likely to push, shove or grab their spouses. These males were also more likely to be convicted of a crime. Women who viewed high levels of television violence as children were four times more likely to punch, kick or choke another adult than the average woman.
Hours Watched
The volume of television violence can be staggering in today's culture. Licensed psychologist Dr. Jeanne Beckman reports that on average, a child watches 28 hours of television per week. By the time the average child reaches the age of 12, he will have witnessed more than 8,000 murders. Beckman also reports lower grades on average, along with behavioral problems.
Fear
George Gerbner of Temple University wrote a 1994 article for the Ecology of Justice that reported that studies showed that growing up from infancy with this unprecedented diet of violence has negative consequences. Consequences include people's tendency to believe they live in an unsafe neighborhood and to have an increased fear of becoming a victim of crime.
