Big Media, Big Violence, Big People

We not only have to worry about whether the media affects viewers emotionally, but physically as well. Pediatrician Victor Strasburger conducted studies to determine the effects that media such as TV, video games, and the Internet have on children. He has found that a large intake of media correlates with obesity and negative behavior.

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In a study, Strasburger measured the amount of time obese children spent ingesting media by watching TV, playing video games, or surfing the net and found that they spend a minimum of two hours each day. One could conclude that the time spent is detrimental to children's physical health. (It is important to note, however, that a correlation, not a cause, of obesity was found. This means that obese children spend a lot of time with different kinds of media, but it does not necessarily mean that excessive media intake causes obesity). Even if the media do cause obesity, that is not the only problem kids face.

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Violence in the media is one of the major problems in the media, according to Strasburger. He argues that violence is ever-present in the media, saturating children with violent media stories and causing children to become desensitized to real-life violence and crime. Horrible acts of violence that used to send shivers up children's spines now hardly fazes them, and the change in behavior does not seem to be a positive effect. The fear is that children who do not give a second thought to violence in the media will have no qualms about behaving violently.

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Violent media are open to interpretation. Children watching TV may have a difficult time interpreting the meaning behind violence. For example, violence shown by a police officer in an effort to defend a person's life occurs in a much diferent context than does a serial killer stalking and brutally murdering helpless victims. Therefore, the risk remains that youth may interpret violent behavior as the "proper" way to act because that is what they see. Young children who see violence on TV shows may in time begin to hehave in ways that reflect what they see, a process known as social learning. Strasburger noted a woman who recalled that her nephew used to hit his mother when he was young. The child also spent many hours playing violent video games. Cause and effect, or just coincidence?

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Although the media boast that they encourage prosocial behavior (an example being that a TV program shows people sharing, cooperating, developing self-control, helping, etc.), it is evident that the media also encourage poor behavior (i.e. violent behavior) - and it may have a negative effect on children's weight. Strasburger's solution? He says that children should not have TVs in their rooms and suggests that they cut down on the time spent ingesting media. Not only this - he says that media producers such as Hollywood also have a responsibility to monitor what they put in their shows. It's not just about money, he argues, it's also about public health.