Violence in Media: Adverse Effects on Children's Behaviour - Research Paper Sample

Introduction

There are numerous scientific research and research-based on personal testimonies that reveal that the violence depicted in media such as television, movies, and video games have adverse effects on children. According to Frankenhuis et al. (2016), children acquire their behavioral traits from their environments. Increased consumption of violent television content, videogames, and movies expose children to language that forms part of their vocabulary and mannerisms. Also, because such violence defines heroism, it is no doubt that children will choose the character traits depicted. Increasingly, studies have found that overexposure to media violence makes children less sensitive to the pain of others, instill paranoia, and increase their likelihood of developing aggressive behavior (Rahaman & Khan, 2016; Fitzpatrick et al., 2016). The purpose of this paper is to determine the relationship between media violence and child development. It argues that exposure to media depictions of violence has negative impacts on child development since they lead to desensitization, fear, profanity, and aggression.

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Media Violence Role in Desensitizing Children

Overexposure to violence can make children desensitized. According to Fitzpatrick et al. (2016), there are three or more television sets in at least 60% of American family households. These households also possess computers and mobile devices and have regular access to the internet. The cumulative exposure time to media violence is thus high. Watching violent scenes over and over makes children lose the impulse and empathy that should come when someone is in danger. Such children become less sensitive to pain when they are not the ones suffering. It is noteworthy that most violent media content is presented with military themes and settings that desensitize soldiers and prepare them to kill (Han et al., 2020). The development of videogames increasingly assigns real-life traits to characters and their environments. Hence, it becomes difficult for the young mind to differentiate between real-life and virtual settings, and they are likely to express the same reactions as borrowed from the media.

Media Violence and Fear

There is a direct correlation between media violence and fear among children. Humans apply their cognitive instincts to determine if their environments are safe (Busselle & van den Bulck, 2019). These instincts get influenced by knowledge of what is good and what is a threat. Children use what they know to scan their environment, faces, and mannerisms for behaviors they perceive unusual. When in buildings, individuals will check for exits. Continuous exposure to media violence shows in individuals who exhibit paranoia and insist on, for instance, sitting where they can see the exit because they consider the world dangerous (Rahaman & Khan, 2016). A person who spends more time indoors and allows the media to shape their perception of the external environment is likely to be fearful of potential aggression from strangers, as depicted in the media. The cultivation theory helps to understand how media violence leads to fear. A continuous process of priming normalizes an environment of violent reactions. Thus, individuals become more likely to respond to the slightest provocations with acts of aggression or overamplify slight disagreements.

According to Busselle and van den Bulck (2019), the media serves as a priming socializing agent in the modern world. Overexposure to media violence potentially influences an individual’s perception of the world. Large amounts of threatening media content such as natural disasters like tornados can lead an individual to fear the experience of a severe storm. An individual that responds with anxiety towards their external environment is more likely to be reclusive, preferring to avoid people and the outside setting. It is noteworthy that many cases of violence have occurred in military bases, schools, malls, restaurants, malls, and colleges. Young people get such information through the media, which gives extended coverage that may span days or months. Such type and level of exposure cultivate an individual’s thoughts and views of the world and the local environment.

Media Violence and Profanity

There is a direct link between profanity in media and the development of attitudes inclined towards the use of profanity and aggression. One characteristic of violence, as projected over the media, is the use of profanity and swear words. Profanity in many types of media has been on the rise over time (Fitzpatrick et al., 2016). Consequently, policies have been established that measure profanity in the media and assign ratings for media to protect children. An L rating advises that parents prevent children from exposure to such language. However, the liberal nature of the media means that preventing a child from watching a movie on television only sets them to a video streaming site. Also, most video games have little regulation on language. While movies are required to go through a vetting process that allows them to be rated, the growth of illegal video streaming and downloading sites makes it hard to realize this goal.

There is also a direct relationship between profanity and aggression. Profanity use is common among individuals with hostile personalities. Behavior scales that assess problem traits among children and adolescents list profanity as one of the indicators of such behaviors. Also, exposure to profanity can induce a desensitizing effect on an individual so that their emotional responses become inhibited. Individuals who find it easy to use profanity as a tool to belittle others are less disturbed by being subjected to profanity themselves. These factors show why society is concerned with the use of profanity. Adolescents who are exposed to swear words on television and video games tend to act aggressively and are more likely to exhibit physical aggression towards their peers. Movies that contain more swear words also contain high levels of aggression.

Teenagers who are overexposed to profanity-laced media shows and videogames are more likely to use blue language compared to those that are not. According to MMM, profanity may itself get classified as a form of aggression. The continuous subtle addition of profanity into media and videogames turns individuals into passive listeners so that they may not notice when it occurs. As the role of parents and friends disappears, teenagers get left with the media as a guide for how they relate and form relationships. When children cannot stand ignorable levels of provocation, they become less likely to develop key skills such as conflict resolution. This deficiency shows in later years when they are unable to maintain stable relationships or work in teams within their professional environments.

Media Violence and Aggression

Empirical studies identify a causal relationship between exposure to media violence and increased risk of adopting aggressive behavior. Children who view violent media content are more likely to develop aggressive tendencies compared to those that get exposed to non-violent content. Children transfer these aggressive tendencies to their real-life settings. For instance, children who get exposed to media violence are more likely to hit, shove, or elbow their peers when playing. When the real-life setting exhibits similar traits to those in violent media, they serve to prime the aggressive behavior among the children. Children who are overexposed to violent content register higher instances of aggressive acts compared to their peers that are not exposed to such content. The same disparities exist concerning restraint.

Media violence negatively impacts an individual’s capacity to self-regulate. Children who are exposed to media violence show lower levels of concentration compared to those who are exposed to non-violent media content. The fact that such children are less attentive to issue makes them less likely to self-regulate their emotions and are more likely to respond physically. According to Bransfield (2018), most homicides are acts committed by close individuals. The majority of homicides are the result of the momentary conflict that occurs in settings where perpetrators have weapons in hand. Media violence contributes to such settings in two ways. First, individuals learn about the different types and effectiveness of weapons from the media. Two, the fear that breeds from exposure to media violence compels individuals to arm themselves as a means for self-defense.

There are different perceptions of the media, as there are about media violence. Media violence is simply portrayals of acts of physical aggression. However, these definitions have evolved with the growth of media theory. Actions intended to irritate or cause physical harm to an individual get classified as aggressive behavior. Aggression may be considered as the sum of all behaviors which do not quite fit into the definition of violence. However, such behaviors are intended to cause harm to another individual. The risk of aggression increases with an individual’s increased lack of empathy and sensitiveness to the impact of a harmful act if such action does not affect them. While mild cases of aggression and antisocial behavior at an early age may not continue into adulthood, a significant proportion of highly aggressive individuals carry the behavior into adulthood. Whatever perception of the media one has, the fact that their environments influence young people remains a constant. Language and actions are the means through which such influence gets manifested.

There is less consensus on the correlation between media violence and violent criminality, a more advanced expression of aggression that employs a weapon to kill or harm. Also, Han et al. (2020) noted that the relationship between mass shootings and media violence remains tenuous. Nonetheless, these are complex acts that have multiple underlying causative agents. On a broader spectrum, video games and media depictions of violence affect aggression. Violent media is a risk factor for aggression, and to a lesser degree, violence. The most critical underlying effect of media violence is the priming and arousal of aggressive traits in an individual. The powerful observational learning processes that occur in a human child are strong. The behavioral scripts that a child observes from their environment automatically influence how they act and respond.

Conclusion

Exposure to media depictions of violence has negative impacts on child development since they lead to desensitization, fear, profanity, and aggression. The past three decades have seen a rise in media penetration, accelerated by the growth in information technology. Coupled with this growth has been the positioning of heroes that derive their superiority from their use of arms and violent tactics. The media also focuses on extremes, including violent weather patterns. Repeatedly watching violent scenes makes children lose the impulse and empathy that should come when someone is in danger. An individual that becomes conditioned to normalize violence also grows up with little concern for aggression direction to another. As children grow into teenagerhood, they are likely to be perpetrators of such aggression, which may manifest through bullying or physical aggression during games.

References

Bransfield, R. C. (2018). Aggressiveness, violence, homicidality, homicide, and Lyme disease. Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment, 14, 693. doi:10.2147/NDT.S155143

Busselle, R., & Van den Bulck, J. (2019). Cultivation Theory, Media, Stories, Processes, and Reality. Media Effects: Advances in Theory and Research.