In the past two decades, media and technology has changed in many incredible ways. We have social media sites such as Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. We can shop online, order delivery to our homes, track the whereabouts of our family and friends, and so much more. I mean, we basically have tiny computers that we carry around everyday in our pockets that can provide us with information on almost anything we could want! However, there are many things that come along with this new media that is less than favorable.
Since basically anything is available to us on the internet, there is more than enough room for “bad things” to be discovered. One of the most commonly known is basic violence in TV and movies. There is violence no matter where you look. Although rates of actual violence around the country has dropped in the past few decades, propaganda has created the belief that crime is everywhere and that weapons are a necessity (Kaplan, 2012).
The idea that violent propaganda riddles our media is even worse when we consider how much of it is in media targeted towards children. For example, video games such as Call of Duty, GTA, and even Fortnite are all competitive single player games that promote different levels of violence. “…players who play either solo or competitively are more aggressive than players who played cooperatively,” (Gruman, 2016). This is especially evident when looking at children as they are easily influenced by what they observe more adult figures doing. They want to imitate what they see, and if what they are seeing is violence, the urge to participate will grow.
So how can we limit this? First, we must consider that it is impossible to shelter children from all media violence. However, it is definitely possible to greatly reduce their media intake and allow viewing in moderation. It is also extremely important for parents to discuss violent media with their children. “If your child asks you about something they saw in a movie or video game that was violent or graphic, be as candid as you can without going into too much detail…parental monitoring of media content, which includes watching something with your child and discussing what you saw, protects kids from the negative effects of violent media content, such as increased aggression,” (Lee, 2020). Keeping children, and even adults, away from violent media will lessen the chances of increased aggression.
References
Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W. , &. Coutts, L.M. (Eds.). (2016). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems 3rd edition. SAGE Publications.
Lee, K. (2020, June 08). Parents Can Limit Their Kids’ Exposure to Violence or Mature Content. Retrieved December 16, 2020, from https://www.verywellfamily.com/violence-in-the-media-621159
Kaplan, A. (2012, October 05). Violence in the Media: What Effects on Behavior? Retrieved December 16, 2020, from https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/violence-media-what-effects-behavior
“While media violence exposure may have short-term effects on adults, its negative impact on children is enduring. As this study suggests, early exposure to TV violence places both male and female children at risk for the development of aggressive and violent behavior in adulthood” (American Psychological Association, 2022). I can see how violent exposure like this, especially to a young developing mind, might cause them to be predisposed to violent tendencies. Speaking for myself, I know I am more likely to have violent dreams or nightmares if I watch a violent or horror movie right before bed. This happens to me as a 28 year old adult, so I would imagine that exposing children to violent media would affect them more in the long run. These areas they would be most affected would be their behavior and their cognitive processing.
https://www.apa.org/pi/prevent-violence/resources/tv-violence