Children and TV Violence
Imagine walking into a relative's house and their child comes charging at you claiming to be the yellow Power Ranger. You think nothing of it at first; he is just being a four-year-old. Now imagine he is charging at you carrying a plastic sword. In his eyes, you are the enemy and he is going to take you out with his almighty weapon. He swings the sword at you with all his might, and he hits you in the back of the legs. Ouch! Your sister-in-law apologizes to you, and turns to the child and scolds him. Your nephew is left standing there confused. He was only playing--imitating what he saw on "The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers". To him, the yellow Power Ranger was considered to be a hero for taking out the bad guy. It is this exposure to television violence that is having a negative influence on our children. On average, 98 percent of U.S. households have at least one television, and four hours per day is spent watching TV. (Facts and Figures) I am sure many people have or know someone who has more than one television set in their home. Many of us have a television in our living room and one in the bedroom also. As a child, the television in the living room was for my brothers, siste
Children between the ages of two and seven spend almost twenty hours per week watching TV unsupervised. (Aidman) Any other rating should be an indicator to turn the channel or turn it off. "It is almost as if he has an entirely new personality. Many studies of the effects of TV violence on children and teenagers have indicated that children become desensitized to the horror of violence and eventually accept violence as a means of solving problems. Max is interested in boats and ships like the Titanic. Aggression is part of human nature, whereas, violence is a learned behavior. "Being involved in extra-curricular activities has really cut back on Max's TV watching," Davis says. (Facts and Figures) Parents need to screen the TV shows their children are viewing; take a moment to sit down with their kids and explain to them that real-life violence causes real-life pain or death. (Davis) Children under the age of eight cannot separate fact from fiction: That is why they believe in the Tooth Fairy, and worry about monsters under their beds. In the end, it is the hopes of parents that children will understand that violence is not glamorous or funny, but that violence is very much real-life and can have serious consequences if taken lightly. As a parent, guardian, or adult, it is our responsibility to look out for the well being of our children. Mary began to notice a change in her son's behavior. Someone would always get hurt in the end," Davis said. Programs with ratings such as TV-Y (all children), TV-Y7 (directed to older children), and TV-G (general audience) are more suitable for younger eyes.
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