Television violence and its effects on child aggression

Television Violence and Its Effect on Children

According to a 1982 report by the National Institute of Mental Health, violent television programs lead to aggressive behavior by children and teenagers who watch them (APA, 2004). This report confirmed and extended an earlier study conducted by the United States Surgeon General. As a result of these and many other research findings, the American Psychological Association (APA) passed a resolution in 1985 informing broadcasters and the public of the potential dangers that viewing violence on television can have for children.

According to psychological research, there are three major effects of seeing violence on television (APA, 2004):

Children may become less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others;

Children may be more fearful of the world around them; and Children may be more likely to behave in aggressive or harmful ways toward others.

Significance of Study

The average American child watches three to fours hours of television per day (AACAP, 1999). Television has been found to have a powerful influence in the development of value systems and behavior patterns. Unfortunately, many television shows today are violent in nature. Hundreds of studies of the effects of television violence on children and teenagers reveal that children may (AACAP, 1999):

become "immune" 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."

Extensive exposure to television violence by children has been proven to cause greater aggressiveness (AACAP, 1999). In some cases, watching a single violent program increases aggressiveness. Often, on television, violence is portrayed as something that is very realistic, and frequently repeated or unpunished. Children are very vulnerable to outside influences and are likely to imitate what they see. In particular, children with emotional, behavioral, learning or impulse control problems may be more easily influenced by television violence.

According to Beckman (1996): "Since children are very visual learners, they model both the positive and negative the behaviors they see. Children watching violent television view the acceptance of aggressive behavior, even if this aggressive behavior is performed by the "good guys." Children are learning that the way to resolve conflict is through fighting; they observe and learn that it is acceptable to use violence to resolve conflict. When children who watch superheros beating the villains with violence, they learn that fighting is the preferred method of conflict resolution." selected this issue because it appears that, since so many children are exposed to violence on television, it presents a serious risk to society.

Results of Research

Studies by George Gerbner, Ph.D., at the University of Pennsylvania, reveal that children's television shows contain about 20 violent acts every hour and also that children who watch a lot of television are more likely to think that the world is a violent and dangerous place (APA, 2004).

Children tend to behave differently after they have been watching violent programs on television (APA, 2004). In a Pennsylvania State University study, about 100 preschool children were observed both before and after watching television; some watched cartoons that had a lot of aggressive and violent acts in them, and others watched shows that did not have any type of violence. There were many real differences between the kids who watched the violent shows and those who watched nonviolent ones.

Children who watch the violent shows, even 'just funny' cartoons, were more likely to hit out at their playmates, argue, disobey class rules, leave tasks unfinished, and were less willing to wait for things than those who watched the nonviolent programs,' says Aletha Huston, Ph.D., now at the University of Kansas (APA, 2004).

Separate field studies demonstrate the long-range effects of televised violence. Leonard Eron, Ph.D., and his associates at the University of Illinois, discovered that children who watched many hours of TV violence when they were in elementary school tended to also show greater aggressive behavior when they became teenagers (APA, 2004). By observing these children until they were 30 years old, Eron found that those who watched a lot of television when they were eight years old were more likely to be arrested and prosecuted for criminal acts as adults.

Despite the large body of accumulated evidence, broadcasters and scientists continue to debate the link between watching violence on television violence and children's aggressive behavior (APA, 2004). Some broadcasters argue that there is not enough evidence to prove that this type of violence is harmful. However, scientists who have studied this issue say a link between television violence and aggression exists, and in 1992, the APA's Task Force on Television and Society published a report that supports this view. The report, entitled Big World, Small Screen: The Role of Television in American Society, shows that the harmful effects of television violence do indeed exist.

There are many ways in which parents can protect children from excessive television violence (AACAP, 1999):

monitor the programs that children are watching; limit the amount of time they spend with the television; watch television with children and make sure that they understand that although the actor has not actually been hurt or killed, real life violence results in pain or death; restrict shows known to be violent, and change the channel or turn off the television set when offensive material comes on, with an explanation of what is wrong with the show; disapprove of the violent episodes in front of the children, stressing the belief that this type of behavior is not the best way to resolve a problem; and to offset peer pressure among friends and classmates, contact other parents and agree to enforce similar rules about the length of time and type of program the children can watch.

Related Questions and Concerns

Several questions emerge from this research. Do all the violence acts that children watch on television cause them to commit crimes later in life (Svalik, 2000). Are the effects of watching television violence brief or long-lasting? Is television as crucial a factor in fostering societal violence as economic poverty, poor schools and broken homes? Is it really possible or desirable to manage kids' exposure to a cultural environment that can never be entirely beneficial or benign?

Despite the large, ongoing body of research on this issue, it is difficult to reach solid conclusions. It seems that violence on television does contribute to aggressive behavior, yet it is important to note that television is only one of many causes of aggression (Gunter and McAleer, 1990). Many other factors unrelated to television influence violence, and the specific impact of televised violence is dependent upon age, sex, family practices, and the way violence is presented. One statement is often repeated: television has major effects on a small number of individuals, and little effect on a large number of people. In the future, the questions and approaches will continue to evolve, and currently, groups funded by both the cable and network industries are examining levels of violence in order to provide better information on the type of violence being shown on television.