Exposure to violence through the media can sometimes desensitize people real violence. On the contrary, some people can watch violence and enjoy the scenes, but they are not aroused negatively from watching such images. Psychology states that scenes of violence of television have a serious effect on the way children act and think. Research confirms that the above is true (Brocato et. al ., 2010). Not only does this affect children only, but recently conducted research shows that this has some effects on adults. As children grow up, they learn a lot from either social learning (role modeling) or experience. Therefore, when young children view violence on television, they have a challenge of differentiating what is real and what is false. They, therefore, try to emulate what they have seen. In psychology, this emulation starts from a chemical change in the child’s brain. The change is similar to what happens in post-traumatic stress condition. In a case where enough violence is seen, one’s brain acts in a manner as if the child watching is being abused (Xie & Lee, 2008).
However, the reaction is common in sadistic violence scenes, where violence is one-sided. When we add this to the fact that the child who is watching this violent scene has a developing brain, you will be able to picture how dangerous watching television can be to the child. The child will be obviously affected by this. The child will end up, for instance, with less empathy. An observable characteristic of children with less empathy is bullying others. The child will start using strategies that are aggressive in solving their issues. Peaceful methods of solving problems will no longer make sense to this child. In other words, the child will become less proactive and more reactive (Xie & Lee, 2008). Relying on negative reactions to solve their frustrations will finally make the child fear social relationships. The child would rather bite before he or she gets bitten. Children with such a perception of danger and lack of empathy develop sadistic behaviors. Secondly, children who view a lot of violence on television are argumentative because they have been gradually dispensed with the inhibitors’ slow caution. Children with this characteristic act out in classroom and tend to become the bully of the class. Studies show that because these children are less patient than other pupils in class, they delay gratification and are less willing to cooperate with others. As a result, they demonstrate a sense of entitlement that is strong. The long-term potential effect of watching violence in is that children, as they become teenagers, will be more violent and hence go against the law severally when they become adults (Brocato et. al ., 2010).
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Parents have many remedies to avoid the effects of watching violent behavior. First, parents can moderate what their children watch. Checking at irregular intervals what your children watch on television will help you in control their viewing. Second, a responsible parent should establish rules in the house, like what kind of programs their children should watch and how many hours a week they should watch (Xie & Lee, 2008). Once in a while, a parent should at least view an episode of what their children always watch. Sometimes news programs have violence scenes. Parents are expected to prevent their children from watching repetitive violence because it is disturbing to a child’s mind. Lastly, parents are supposed to watch television programs that are educative with their kids. Programs that contain current events will give the parent a platform to explain to their children any inappropriate or confusing scenes.
References
Brocato, E. D., Gentile, D. A., Laczniak, R. N., Maier, J. A., & Ji-Song, M. (2010). Television Commercial Violence. Journal of Advertising , 39(4), 95-107.
doi:10.2753/JOA0091-3367390407
Xie, G., & Lee, M. J. (2008). Anticipated Violence, Arousal, and Enjoyment of Movies: Viewers' Reactions to Violent Previews Based on Arousal-Seeking Tendency. Journal Of Social Psychology , 148(3), 277-292.
