Are Children Influenced By Violence On Television ( and Video Games)



Posted: Thursday, October 18, 2007

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I would like to start by simply stating that on a matter such as this, it really is down to each individuals opinion, and that my intention for this article is just to put forward my own views.

I am not a parent, so those of you who are reading this and who are, I will admit now I am probably not going to share the same concerns as you, but I have read various articles about this topic, and all of them by people a lot older than myself, and I would just like to balance this out slightly.

A common view is that children will re-enact what they see on television, which in today’s gang culture seems to be at least one reasonable explanation. However I feel that, not only do the pieces not fit, they make up two entirely different jigsaw puzzle’s. This rise of gangs and chav-like behaviour in the past years is due to so much more than what children see on television and computer games, so I am going to address that in hopefully a separate article, and just concentrate on this topic for now. I think that children being children, will want to act out their favourite hero’s, be it from television or their video games, but that does not mean by not letting them play certain games, it would make any difference.

I am not trying to argue that parents should not censor what children watch, but I do not think they should be so quick to do it either. Being over protective can be just as bad for a child. This is really just a small point, but when films are given age warnings, say 15 or 18, I think it is wrong to assume that this means that you have to be that age to watch them, but just take it as a guide as to what is in the films. I used to watch all aged films at least since I was about 11, probably younger. The main point to teach children is that the films are not real. Just actors make-up and special effects. I realise that is easier said than done. I find it hard now to get scared by films because as soon as something happens, I immediately just think “ well….. It’s fake) probably due to desensitisation but that’s not a bad thing necessarily. I know adults who can’t watch films with particularly gory bits, so it isn’t just a question of growing up either.

Also, is it what children see in films, or television in general. Quite an ambiguous point in most other articles. The news for example, show pictures and clips of actual happenings, as well as documentaries, yet parents do not seem to address this as much as the films children want to watch. The best example I can think of at the moment are the infamous high school shootings. Could it be argued that the publicisation of one increased the chances of others, as it could be a way of getting attention.

Furthermore, video-games are often paraded as being too violent by parents, or is it indeed just another ploy of getting them banned so little Jimmy will do more homework. (I know I keep saying parents, but only in the same usage that “teens” somehow comprises all people within a certain age group, to share exactly the same characteristics) On the contrary, video-games can teach certain skills and be educational ( and I certainly do not just mean educational games, there is a difference) If it was not for the Tony hawk series I would probably not have been into skateboarding, so at least I was active.

At least to me, by this point, I would hope it seems quite trivial to even suggest that violence and what children watch on television go hand in hand. It is a just a form of entertainment, and it is my belief that the adults who say children should not watch something, are the one’s with the problems, can they not see the difference between real life and make believe? How can children behave rightly or wrongly, if they only know one side. Education, not censorship.

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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)
» left by Anonymous
 2 years 310 days ago.
Very intelligent, at least someone knows whats up
 
» left by kurt from michigan 2 years 307 days ago.
I agree with your view on parents; that many are far too overprotective and are doing more to hurt their children than help them. However, it's not the parents that have a problem identifying between real life and make believe, it's the children. Young children watching violent shows or movies are sometimes not capable of distinguishing between reality and television. They may be aware that it is television, but they aren't always fully aware that television doesn't work like the real world.
 
This means that it's up to parents to decide if their kids are mature enough to watch certain programs. That's why they make parental blocks on tv.
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