In the modern world, people are increasingly faced with the aggressive behavior of young people, which is caused by the demonstration of aggression in the media. Video games, TV series, movies, and news are all modern sources of information for both adults and their children. Unfortunately, for some people, it is more challenging to separate virtual reality and real life. The demonstration of aggressive behavior on television and the Internet can lead to children’s aggression in real life, so parents need to protect their children from dangerous content in the media.
One of the most frequent sources of a child’s encounters with violence in the media is video games, which include shooting at virtual opponents. Consequently, this can lead to a child shot at people on the Internet, transferring this situation to the real world and considering this behavior appropriate. According to the study, after a child interacts with violent video games, including shooter games, interest in firearms, and shooting at oneself and others increases (Chang & Bushman, 2019). Thus, violence in video games can lead to violence in life to avoid this parents need to monitor the computer games that their child plays.
In addition to video games, films and videos are particularly dangerous for a child. When watching the aggressive behavior on the TV screen, the child imitates this behavior in life. During socialization, the child often uses mimicry, which means he imitates the behavior of those around him. The child compares himself with the character on the screen, after which he begins to copy his behavior (Anderson & Bushman, 2018). In addition, the child may encounter propaganda of drugs and alcohol on the screen, and often advertising of tobacco and alcohol products is present on social networks such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter (Chassiakos et al.). It can lead to irreversible consequences when the child can harm not only others but also himself.
Thus, at present, the Internet and television can cause aggressive behavior in children and young people. From the media, a child can adopt abuse and aggression, transferring this behavior into his life. In addition, advertising promoting alcohol and smoking is dangerous. The parent should anticipate the damage that may be caused to the child’s mental health and protect him from such content by monitoring the information that comes to the child from the Internet.
References
Anderson, C. A., & Bushman, B. J. (2018). Media violence and the general aggression model. Journal of Social Issues, 74(2), 386–413. Web.
Chang, J. H., & Bushman, B. J. (2019). Effect of exposure to gun violence in video games on children’s dangerous behavior with real guns: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA network open, 2(5), 1–11. Web.
Chassiakos, Y. L. R., Radesky, J., Christakis, D., Moreno, M. A., & Cross, C. (2016). Children and adolescents and digital media. Pediatrics, 138(5), 1–18. Web.