Do children become violent watching violent program on T.V? Among all the mass media, television violence is one of the main factors for both short-term and long-term effects upon children (Huesmann and Eron,1986 as cited by Slotsve, et al., 2008). According to some findings in research, the amount of hours children spend in watching Television has drastically increased by years. American Psychological Association gave a report on television and American society saying that by the time an elementary child leaves school, the child would have seen at least 8.000 murders and more than 100,000 other kinds of violence on television (Huston, et al., 1992 as cited by Smith, Marilyn E. 1993). It can be stated that most children spend more time watching TV rather than with parents or in the classroom.
Unfortunately, many of today’s television programs are violent. So does TV influence kids that violence, drugs, alcohol and sex are ok? How much violence, drug references, alcohol usage, and sex references does the average American child come across? How much of this do they take in? Hundreds of studies have found that children and teenagers that watch television may: • Become “immune” or numb to the horror of violence • Gradually accept violence as a way to solve problems • Imitate the violence they observe on television; and • Identify with certain characters, victims and/or victimizers Also, Extensive viewing of television violence by children causes greater aggressiveness.
With the new DVD that shows sex and violence or computers that gives kids access to unauthorized sites, technology is something that many parents need to look out for. As technology continues to forge ahead concerns about its effects on the general population are raised. Whether it is microwave ovens causing cancer or cell phones causing accidents, people are always interested in researching, and often accusing, these new products. Such is this case with videogames. Ever since PongÒ swept the nation, scholars have been researching videogames effects on children.
Studies of cognitive development indicate that television provides a stimulus for learning and that children learn from television. Educational programs can open new worlds for kids, giving them a chance to travel the globe, learn about different cultures, and gain exposure to ideas they may never encounter in their own community. However, the reverse can be true about television where it could provide a negative effect to the child by exposing to violence, inappropriate sexuality, offensive language, and risky behavior. Television can be a great tool to help kids learn. Educational programs such as Sesame Street, Dora the Explorer, Kai-lan and etc.
Remember the days of going outside in the summer and playing cops and robbers? Or being outside until dark and you had to go in only to get up bright and early the next morning and do it all over again? Children in this new day and age are spoiled by the “luxuries” of new technology but it has many negative effects on them as they grow up. Research suggests that technology has a negative impact on children, because it causes them to grow up much faster, it has caused them to want instant gratification, and it causes them to lose their imagination. First, Violence portrayed in video games and on television also contains sexually suggestive programs.
Since its invention over fifty years ago, television has been criticized by many as being bad for children’s brains. As television has advanced throughout the years, so have the fast paced, mindless shows designed for young children. In the article “Is SpongeBob SquarePants Bad for Children?” Roni Rabin discusses a research study that sought to prove that watching SpongeBob SquarePants has a negative effect on a child’s executive functioning system. The results of this small experimental study found that children who watched nine minutes of a fast paced cartoon had decreased their executive functioning compared to children who participated in nine minutes of drawing or watching educational programs. Connecting fast paced television viewing to losses in cognitive ability has profound significance for children’s social and learning development.
What caused this behavior in the child? As reported by several doctors and psychologists, video games contribute to aggression and violent behavior in children of all ages. All around the world, video games are selling faster than books. Many newly released titles remain on the shelf merely minutes before they are snatched up by an eager teenager, ready to master every technique and aspect of the game. Gamer ages range from two all the way up to late adulthood.
Games about war and games about crime life, even games about fantasy violence are all over the market. It is thought that Children are affected the most by the violence they are exposed to. I tend to agree that violent media affects children the most. Children are less likely to separate right from wrong like most adults can. It is easy for me to see something on TV and know that it wouldn’t be right to replicate it.
The mass media are an increasingly accessible way for people to learn what is important in the world today and what acceptable behaviour in the society is. The media which is prevalent in every aspect of our lives is the perfect instrument to install ideas in the minds of people, and the most susceptible of them all, children. The immaturity of those young children, who are rather active with action movies, will be easily influenced by the violent behaviour in the shows. This is because they may not know how to differentiate between reality and fantasy. However, media cannot be solely blamed for the world-wide increase in violence.
It’s said that Video games are entertaining and effective motivation for children in a way that it engages them with skillful play depending on the design of the game. There have even been studies with adults showing that experience with video games is related to better surgical skills. Researchers also concluded that people can learn iconic, spatial, and visual attention skills from video games. Although this benefits to all but on the other hand, can also have a negative impact on children of all ages. Excessive playing of video game can cause violence, addiction, and poor academic performance in children.