Children Viewing Violence on Television Essay - 1412 Words

Children Viewing Violence on Television In virtually all American households, a television is present. Through this electronic device, the public receives different messages. The main use of the television is for entertainment purposes. The programs on television usually mirror and enhance the different aspects of American culture. People ranging from infants to elderly adults watch television, the subject matter that is appropriate for these different age groups varies. Yet, television is indiscriminate of age presenting any topic to whoever chooses to view it. The television of today contains various aspects of society and enhances it, creating an entertaining program. One of these aspects is violence. Young children learn†¦show more content†¦In 73 percent of violent scenes, the perpetrators go unpunished possibly leading children to assume violence is successful and acceptable. About half of the violent acts on television show no harm to the victim and more than half show no pain. Handguns are involved in one out of every four violent confrontations. Surprisingly, childrens programs often present violence as funny and rarely shows long-term consequences for violent actions. These programs viewed by children do not offer violence in an appropriate context (TV Violence and Kids 234). As noted on the National Coalition on Television Violences homepage one can see the effects of television violence on children simply by observing kids at any playground. These children are pretending to be Batman, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Power Rangers. These are the heroes of todays children. These heroes are not chosen due to character, but by physical strength. The strongest and most violent are usually chosen by young people as the heroes to imitate. These characters usually portray violence as an effective, common, and acceptable response. The television is an instrument that teaches children about our culture. The programs reflect, create, and depict our society (Levine 15). This could be used as a valuable tool to teach tolerance, reinforce values, introduce different cultures and ideas, and overall educate children to become citizens ofShow MoreRelated Television Violences Effects on Children Essay1080 Words   |  5 PagesTelevision Violences Effects on Children Most people read statistics like â€Å"Before the average American child leaves elementary school, he or she will have witnessed more than 8,000 murders on television† ( â€Å"Does T.V. Kill?† ), and worry about the negative effect viewing violence on television will have on their children. Research into the effects of childhood exposure to violent television programming shows that there is cause for concern. 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