In modern society, the media is one of the leading channels of socialization of children and adolescents that serves as an alternative to school and family. The impact of the media on the personal and intellectual development of the child, his or her psychological and mental health and emotional status is very significant. Numerous studies show a correlation between the time children spend watching violent films or programmes on TV and the level of violence they exhibit. This paper hypothesizes that there is a direct correlation between violent scenes on TV and the level of violence children and teenagers find acceptable in real life.
There are several factors that directly influence a child’s or a teenager’s violent behavior, among which are biological disposition, socio-economic factors, the level of violence in the family and many others. However, it is impossible to deny the role of TV in forming children’s perspectives on the level of violence they find justified. A serious consequence of the constant observation of aggression scenes by children is the formation of an attitude to violence as a norm of behavior and a way to resolve problematic situations. Children become insensitive, unable to experience someone else’s pain and easily use violence in their games. As Zafar & Chaudhary state, “children, who are regularly exposed to the shows having very realistic, frequently repeated, or unpunished violence, are more likely to imitate what they see” (2018, p. 63). Thus, children begin to manifest antisocial and aggressive behavior and see the world as cruel and unfriendly. Moreover, they begin to consider violence as an acceptable means of conflict resolution.
On the one hand, children have an increasing fear of becoming a victim of violence, and, on the other hand, they tend to believe violence is acceptable in real life. In other words, there is a serious deformation of the personality’s perception of the world. Al-Ali et al state that “exposure to violent media is associated with physical and psychological problems, including aggression, bullying, fear, depression, nightmares, and sleep disturbances” (2018, p. 592). The negative consequences of watching violent scenes on TV find their way into the behavior, emotional state and cognitive image of the child’s world. Thus, exposure of children to TV violence leads to steady or episodic imitation of models of aggressive behavior in real life in relationships with peers and adults. Moreover, studies show the correlation between watching television shows depicting scenes of violence and the emergence of fear and anxiety in children aged three to 11 years old (Al-Ali et al., 2018). Preschoolers experience a stronger fear from the very fact of aggressive behavior of the characters, and younger schoolchildren – from details and images. The fear experienced in childhood, caused by media violence, can take hold and manifest itself in adulthood.
Moreover, watching violent films may lead to a loss of sensitivity and aggression. It serves to change children’s perception of the world when violence begins to be seen as a real, necessary and natural norm of relations between people in society. Children may refrain from restraining aggressive impulses at an older age when violence is presented as socially sanctioned. In modern society, where virtual reality becomes a reality, this trend persists until adolescence.
To solve the problem of children’s exposure to media violence, ratings should be given to certain programmes differentiating between the ages of children who are allowed to watch specific programmes. Other initiatives include “watching adult programs in an environment where there are no children, allocating time for children, letting children spend time with educating activities and thus, keeping the duration of watching TV under control” (Öznacar et al, 2018, p. 81). If all these measures are implemented, there is a good chance that the impact of violent scenes in the media on children’s psyche is diminished.
References
Al-Ali, N. M., Yaghy, H. S., Shattnawi, K. K., & Al-Shdayfat, N. M. (2018). Parents’ knowledge and beliefs about the impact of exposure to media violence on children’s aggression. Issues in mental health nursing, 39(7), 592-599.
Öznacar, B., Kan, Ş. G., Besim, S., & Şensoy, Ş. (2018). Assessment of the effects of TV programs containing violence on children in the pre-school period through the views of parents. BRAIN. Broad Research in Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience, 9(4), 77-82.
Zafar, A., & Chaudhary, U. G. (2018). Effects of violence shown in media on children: A study of parent’s perspective. Journal of Early Childhood Care and Education, 2.