Violence in the Media

Media violence can lead to aggressive behavior in children. Over 1,000 studies confirm this link. By age 18, the average American child will have viewed about 200,000 acts of violence on television alone. The level of violence during Saturday morning cartoons is higher than the level of violence during prime time. There are 3 to 5 violent acts per hour in prime time, versus 20 to 25 acts per hour on Saturday morning. Media violence is especially damaging to young children (under age 8) because they cannot easily tell the difference between real life and fantasy. Violent images on television and in movies may seem real to young children. They can be traumatized by viewing these images. Media violence affects children by: Increasing aggressiveness and anti-social behavior, increasing their fear of becoming victims, making them less sensitive to violence and to victims of violence, and Increasing their appetite for more violence in entertainment and in real life. Also Media violence often fails to show the consequences of violence. This is especially true of cartoons, toy commercials and music videos. As a result, children learn that there are few if any repercussions for committing violent acts. (Media Violence," AAP Committee on Communications, in Pediatrics, Vol. 95, No. 6, June 1995) …