Effects of Media Violence on Children and Family Essay

The National Television Violence Study defines â€Å"media violence as an overtly depiction of credible threat of physical force intended to physically harm an animate being or group of beings† (Bartholow, Dill, Anderson, & Lindsay, 2003, p. 3). Violent portrayal on television, video games, music videos, films or the Internet informs children that people are revengeful and retaliation is a natural response to conflict (â€Å"Media violence†). Children between ages of six and 10 are more compromised to the negative effects of television because they may conceive that most of what they see on television is real (â€Å"The effects†). Strasburger and Wilson (2003) mention that the prosocial-violent cartoon produced more imitative aggression among kindergartners than did the purely violent cartoon because the superhero’s violent behavior was more striking than his prosocial words were (p. 83). Playing violent video games can increase aggressive thoughts, feelings and behavior of children and is more harmful than violent television and movies because it is more interactive and requires the player to identify with the aggressor (â€Å"Violence in†). Boys who watched either violent or nonviolent rap videos have a high probability not to attend college or do not believe that they would ever finish school (Roberts, Christenson, and Gentile, 2003, p. 168). Research studies indicate that higher rate of television viewing are linked with increased habit of using tobacco, increased intake of alcoholic beverages and younger onset of sexual activity (â€Å"Facts about†). They also show that repeated exposure to media violence makes people to be less disturbed when they witness real life violence and have less sympathy for its victims (â€Å"Research on†). Cook (2000) suggests that parents should ensure that their children are thoughtful, critical consumers of media and should establish content and time limits on media use, monitor, and discuss the media their children use. References Bartholow, B. D. , Dill, K. E. , Anderson, K. B. , & Lindsay J. J. (2003). The proliferation of media violence and its economic underpinnings. In D. A. Gentile (Ed. ), Media Violence and Children: A Complete Guide for Parents and Professionals (pp. 1-18). Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group. Cook, Donald (2000). Testimony of the American Academy of Pediatrics on Media Violence. Retrieved June 3, 2009, from http://www. aap. org/advocacy/releases/mediaviolencetestimony. pdf. Facts About Media Violence and Effects on the Family (2005). Retrieved June 3, 2009, from http://74. 125. 45. 132/search? q=cache:kiPT7NJfTWwJ:www. echeat. com/essay. php%3Ft%3D27026+effects+of+media+violence+on+family&cd=6&hl=en&ct=clnk Media violence: more than just child’s play? (2003). Facts of Life: Issue Briefings for Health Reporters 8(10). Retrieved June 3, 2009, from http://www. lionlamb. org/More_Than_Just_Childs_Play. htm