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Tiana Tippetts
Patten

English 1010

May 6, 2014
Issue Exploration Essay: Final Draft
Do media have an influence on children? Over 1,000 studies on the effects of television
and film violence have been done during the past 40 years. (Coleman, 22) Whether it leads to
desensitization, fear, violence or increased intellect, media does have an influence. After
watching my young nephews play violent video games, and my teenage niece dependant on
social media to determine her self-worth, I thought I would examine this issue further.
Surprisingly, media isnt the key factor of violence in America. Children may use the
copy-cat effect, where they see something and copy it, but the underlying issues involved
(family life, income, race, etc.) have a great impact on children. I believe if parents arent there
to set limits, show love and affection, and be an example, children will act out, sometimes in
violent ways. Some would argue that media is to blame for violence in America, while others
will argue that there are different factors involved, and that media may only have a minimal
influence. Id like to touch on both sides of the debate and cover the effects of media on
children, both good and bad.
With so much exposure to media on a daily basis its hard, if not impossible, for media
to not affect children. Dozens, if not hundreds, of times a day, media such as video games,
internet, television, movies, music, billboards, textbooks, magazines, and product packaging are
aimed at, and surround our youth.
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Media are agenda setting, which means, if the media imply that something is important, it
is important. Media influence has been a topic of debate for hundreds of years. The more
people hear of a subject, the more they want to know more about it. Critics most often direct
their attacks against the most recent entertainment medium as it becomes more popular and
available to large numbers of people. (Gerdes, 10-11) Thinking back through recent history, an
example that comes to mind is the backlash the Beatles and Elvis received by their wild ways.
They were a bad influence on youth and despised by parents everywhere. In retrospect, The
Beatles and Elvis are mild compared to the extent of music (and media in general) children are
exposed to today.
When children participate in pretend violence, either by watching it on TV or playing
video games depicting violence, they may want to act it out in real life. This idea is not foreign;
we have seen several instances of violence in the news where children will copy what they see in
video games as a form of acting out. Dr. Catherine Newman, author of School Rampage: The
Social Roots to School Shootings, said in an interview regarding a school shooting in which a
16-year old boy shot and killed 9 people before killing himself:
When you look at popular culture, movies, video games, you will see this kind of "shoot
em" pathway running through many of them. It's not an original idea of his [the shooter];
it's something that kids are exposed to by the millions. Only a tiny, tiny handful become
shooters, but this stuff is everywhere. What it tends to reinforce in the shooter's mind is
not so much a violent impulse as a template for how to be notorious and alluring and cool
as a shooter, and that's really most of the time what they're trying to achieve. They're
trying to reverse their reputation from a social loser to a notorious and attractive character
in an anti-hero kind of way.
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In an attempt to be cool, children may follow through with violent acts to become a hero.
This is not to say that children who are exposed to video games will all become school shooters,
or follow through with violent acts, notice Dr. Newman stated that only a tiny, tiny handful
become shooters. However, this touches on the idea that children are taught by media to idolize
heroes and celebrities and the fact that they are famous makes them somebody people like.
According to a study conducted by Gentile, Lynch, Linder & Walsh (2004), children who
are exposed to violence in video games at a young age tend to be more aggressive, may engage
in fights with their peers, and see a decline in school achievements. Tina Payne Bryson, director
of parenting education for the Mindsight Institute and coauthor of The Whole Brained Child said:
Neuroimaging suggests that when kids play violent video games, the medial prefrontal
cortex the part of the brain that allows us to balance our emotions, be empathetic, and
make thoughtful decisions become less active. And at the same time, the amygdalate
the part of the brain that causes us to act before we think, be territorial, and reactive
becomes more active. The brain develops what it gets practice doing.
Knowing that the brains of todays children are developing in a different way, I wonder how that
will affect their future?
Video games are more interactive than say, watching TV or reading a book, they are
more in your face, but they are not the only source of media that can influence children in a
negative way. Violence in television and movies also has an effect on the behavior of children.
We see children mimicking sword fights in pirate movies and shooting the enemy with their
fake guns after watching a war movie, but there is more involved than simple mimicking.
Children are having their innocence and childhood taken away by being exposed to violence and
sex at an age where their brains arent developed enough to make sense of it.
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Watching the news may cause fear in a young child. Not all children will develop
aggressive habits even after watching extensive amounts of television violence. But other
outcomes such as fear of victimization and desensitization are well documented. (Gentile, 86)
Desensitization leads people wanting more and more violence, and the money hungry media
powers are more than happy to produce more violence. The centrality of violence is a product
of a complex manufacturing and market machine which is rooted in the organization and
ownership structure of the US based television industry and the competition for profit it
generates. (Gerbner 1995:2)
While people are desensitized by violence and sex, they may not realize it. People are
not aware that they have become desensitized although they may be perfectly willing to accept
that others have been. This tendency is called the third person effect, a well documented
phenomenon whereby people assume that others are influenced more by the media than they
themselves are. (Perloff, 2002) I believe this to be true, which is probably why I decided to
write on this subject.
With the popularity of social media, children are trying harder and harder to fit in and
compete with their peers. Online bullying is a dangerously growing issue, there are many
campaigns aimed at bringing awareness of how common this is. Even though cyber-bullying is a
silent threat, it is far reaching and can have lasting effects, even suicide. Many kids are basing
their self-worth on how many Facebook friends, Instagram, SnapChat and Twitter followers they
have. Youth are trolling for likes simply to feel better about themselves. This is a growing
problem and we know it isnt going away anytime soon.
Children are even influenced by the amount of time their parents may be plugged in to
media. Jealous and angry feelings may occur when parents are paying more attention to their
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phone, computer, ipad, television, etc., than they are to their children. We read so much about
kids tuning out and living online, but thats only half of the problem. More worrisome to me are
the ways in which parents are checking out of family time. (Steiner-Adair et al, 11) When
families set limits that are understood by everyone, there will be less tuning out by parents and
children. Parents are the key to setting these limits, the only problem with this is that the
media industry has brilliantly positioned themselves as the defenders of parents rights to raise
their children in their own ways, but no effort has been made to inform parents about known
effects of exposure to violence, substance use, sex, or other risk behaviors on young viewers.
(Rich, 3)
Addiction is also a factor in media. New research suggests that one out of every eight
children who play video games show signs of addiction. (Steiner-Adair et al, 158) Because
children arent mature enough to set limits for themselves, it is important for parents to monitor
and control the content their children are exposed to. They know the maturity levels and amount
of self-control their children have and they need to enforce family guidelines.
Not all researchers believe that media is harmful to children, in fact, some may suggest
that there are positive effects of media. For instance, watching a make believe program may help
promote imagination. Television is useful to calm people down in hospitals and asylums, it also
helps relieve aggression the same way that dreams do. When people watch violence or even read
about it, they purge themselves of their own violent tendencies. Some have extended the notion
of catharsis to include purgation of personal fears and anxieties. (Douglas, 1966; Tudor, 1989).
Also, the transformations that monsters undergo in many horror films supposedly provide
cathartic relief for teens who are experiencing physical changes as they mature sexually.
(Evans, 1984)
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Even video games can prove productive and be rewarding. Pew research says games can
have positive effects. They can connect children with their peers, promote social interaction,
create opportunities for strategic thinking, and teach collaborative play, as well as develop the
capacity to think quickly when solving problems. (Steiner-Adair et al, 56) My nephews play
Xbox Live, where they are able to communicate with their friends using a wireless connection
while playing video games. I believe that as long as they play only with their friends, and arent
inviting strangers to play with them, it is a positive atmosphere. I will listen to them play and
talk to each other, and they are all just having fun. Even though video games are taking children
from playing outdoors to being confined indoors, it can be a social experience.
In conclusion, media is not the only reason children become violent and/or act out, there
are several other factors involved that range from family structure to income bracket, but media
do indeed have an influence on the lives of children, whether it is good or bad. For over a
century, the issue of violence in the media has been a prominent area of concern for government
officials, academics, and the general public. Research has been conducted and conferences
convened, but the issue remains as contentious as ever. (University of California at Los Angeles
TV Violence Monitoring Project)
Media does affect children. Media is agenda-setting, we are fed what sells. Children are
being exposed to sex and violence at too young of an age, and they arent mature enough to
process it in a healthy way. With video games being an interactive outlet, children are more
affected when playing video games than watching TV, but all violence in media can lead to
desensitization and fear, it can also lead to the copy-cat effect, where children will mimic what
they see, sometimes in a violent way. Social media is also a concern, with cyber-bullying and
self-esteem being affected by the amount of friends or likes he or she may have, its a rising
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concern in the changing technological world. Media can also be positive, it can encourage
interaction, be a source of learning, stimulate the imagination, and be calming. As long as
parents take the initiative to monitor what media their children participate in, whether setting
time limits, filtering the content, or unplugging themselves to give children the attention they
are seeking, children will be less likely to be affected in a negative way by media.
Work Sited

Gerdes, Louise I. Media Violence: Opposing Viewpoints. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven,
2004. Print. (10-11)
Coleman, Loren. The Copycat Effect: How the Media and Popular Culture Trigger the
Mayhem in Tomorrow's Headlines. New York: Paraview Pocket, 2004. Print. (22)
De, Subrata. "School Shooter Followed Video Game-like script." Msnbc.com. Msnbc,
n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2014.
Gentile, D. A. & Anderson, C. A. (2003). Violent video games: The newest media
violence hazard. In D. A. Gentile (Ed.), Media violence and children. Westport, CT:
Praeger Publishing.
Steiner-Adair, Catherine, and Teresa Barker. The Big Disconnect: Protecting Childhood
and Family Relationships in the Digital Age. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print. (158) (Tina Payne
Bryson, director of parenting education for the Mindsight Institute and coauthor of The
Whole Brained Child.)
Gentile, Douglas A. Media Violence and Children: A Complete Guide for Parents and
Professionals. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2003. Print. (86)
McCullagh, Ciaran, and Jo Campling. Media Power: A Sociological Introduction.
Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave, 2002. Print. (Gerbner 1995:2)
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Gentile, Douglas A. Media Violence and Children: A Complete Guide for Parents and
Professionals. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2003. Print (82, Perloff, 2002)
Steiner-Adair, Catherine, and Teresa Barker. The Big Disconnect: Protecting Childhood
and Family Relationships in the Digital Age. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print. (11)
Rethinking and Reframing Media Effects in the Context of Children's Rights: A New
Paradigm. Academic Journal By: Rich, Michael. Communication Research Trends. 2009,
Vol. 28 Issue 3, p7-12. 6p. , Database: Communication & Mass Media Complete (3)
Steiner-Adair, Catherine, and Teresa Barker. The Big Disconnect: Protecting Childhood
and Family Relationships in the Digital Age. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print. (158)
Bryant, Jennings, and Susan Thompson. Fundamentals of Media Effects. Boston, MA:
McGraw-Hill, 2002. Print. (Douglas, 1966; Tudor, 1989)
Bryant, Jennings, and Susan Thompson. Fundamentals of Media Effects. Boston, MA:
McGraw-Hill, 2002. Print. (Evans, 1984)
Steiner-Adair, Catherine, and Teresa Barker. The Big Disconnect: Protecting Childhood
and Family Relationships in the Digital Age. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print. (56)