Violent Beginnings

In the wake of the Columbine and Virginia Tech shootings, people struggled to find answers as to the causes of such horrific acts of violence. Because, if the causes could be identified, then perhaps something could be changed to prevent other tragedies. One re-occuring theory has been that the prevalence of media violence influences people towards violent actions. Is this really the case? What are the effects of media violence, especially on children and teens who are the most susceptible?

An article from ABC News earlier this month cites some recent studies done on the relationship between media violence and viewer aggression (among other effects of media). The media industry is an important influencing factor for children and teens because, on average, this age group spends at least 6 hours (25% or more) of every day using media products. That time in front of the TV adds up. By the time a child reaches adulthood, she will have seen about 200,000 violent acts! That's more than 10,000 violent acts a year. But does watching this violence have any direct influence on aggressive and violent acts?

Studies have shown that there is in fact a relationship between violence and aggression. Children who have aggressive tendencies tend to watch TV with more violence. The trouble, though, is the same as the "chicken and the egg" question: which comes first? Is it that children become more aggressive by watching media violence OR is it that aggressive children are attracted to shows with more violence? Another thing to consider is the fact that children are imitators: they tend to repeat what they see. The well-known Bobo doll experiment indicates this. Children watched an adult beat up a giant clown toy and then modeled their behavior after the example. Imitation is especially prone when there is some kind of reward for the violent or aggressive act; the opposite is also true, that if there's a punishment shown children are less likely to imitate the act. Lastly, the type of violence is important to consider, too. Is it a violent act that illustrates a point, such as 'good triumphing over evil,' or is it merely gratuitous?

So, to sum things up a bit, violence in the media is prevalent, and it certainly has effects on people, particularly children. With that being said, we can't 'prove' that media violence 'causes' people to be more violent. In other words, media violence may or may not have contributed to tragic shootings. But, it's certainly important for us to realize the fact that media are influential for children's socialization. Since children spend 1/4 of the day with media products, we should be aware of the content they're watching - which does include a lot of violent acts. And we certainly need to be aware of how the media could shape 'violent beginnings' in someone's life.