Media Violence and Its Effect on Children

It often seems like everywhere one looks, violence shows its ugly head. We see it in the streets, dark back alleys, schools, and even at home. Home is a major source of violence. In many peoples' living rooms there sits an outlet for violence that often goes unnoticed. It is the television, and the children who view it are often pulled into its realistic world of violent scenes with sometimes devastating results. "Unless and until there is unmistakable proof to the contrary, the presumption must be that television is and will be a main factor in influencing the values and moral standards of our society ..." ( ). Much research has gone into showing why children are so amazed by this big glowing box and the action that takes place in it. Research shows that media violence definitely is a major source of violent and aggressive behavior developed in children. Some are trying to fight this problem and others are ignoring it, hoping the problem will go away; still others do not even seem to care. However, the facts are undeniable. The studies have been done and all the results point to the same conclusion: Television violence causes children to be violent and the effects can be life-long.…