Effects Of Media On Children

The National Institute of Mental Health has reported that "in magnitude, exposure to television violence is as strongly correlated with aggressive behavior as any other behavioral variable that has been measured." The American Psychiatric Association is advocating for a significant decrease in violent programming on network and cable television. Television violence has been shown to be a risk factor to the health and well-being of the developing child, adolescent, and to the stability of their families.

A study found that the majority of all entertainment programming contains violence. Especially disturbing was that the criminals went unpunished in 73% of these violent scenes, since the most effective way of reducing the likelihood of young viewers imitating violent behavior is to show such behavior being punished. Viewers begin to identify with aggressors and the aggressors' solutions to various problems.

People with greater exposure to media violence see the world as a dark and sinister place. Television programs present a narrow view of the world, and the world they present is violent. People who watch a lot of television are more likely than those who watch less to see the world as being violent and misjudge their chance of being involved in violence.

Children and adolescents are exposed to more media images of violence than ever before. Violence isn't only in television, but film, music, internet, and videogames. Commercial television for children is 50-60 times more violent than prime-time programs for adults, many more children and adolescents have greater access to media with violent content than had ever been available in previous decades.

Many children's groups have agreed on the need of rating systems that not only are clear as to the nature of the content, but also must specify the age-appropriateness of the content. Rating systems are one of the few things that can help stop young children