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Since children are very visual learners, they
model both the positive and negative the behaviors they see. Children watching
violent television view the acceptance of
aggressive behavior, even if this aggressive behavior is performed by the "good
guys." Children are learning that THE way to resolve conflict is through
fighting; they observe and learn that it is acceptable to use violence to resolve
conflict. When children who watch superheros beating the villains with violence,
they learn that fighting is the preferred method of conflict resolution.
In Home Alone II, the bad guys would have been killed many times over
from the defensive acts that little Kevin performed. These acts appeared very real,
very do-able by children. Yet these acts of violence are made humorous so that
children laugh at one individual inflicting deadly force upon another.
Parents are their children's most important teacher. Parents can
teach their children both by modeling appropriate behaviors and by saying that they do not
like watching so much fighting on TV (as they turn off the TV). Do not accept the
marketing ploy that watching television violence is okay since it is merely a reflection
of our society. I don't know about you, but my view as a parent and a professional
is that Hollywood writers rarely have a clue about what non-Hollywood society is truly
like. I want to teach my children that there are still important values that we
should follow. Children need to learn that violence is not the preferred mode of
conflict resolution. Parents need to work at feeling comfortable in teaching their
children their family values, not mindlessly believing some media advertiser's
concept of what children want.
Television viewing is different today than when we were
kids. Children of today have far more television programming available while parents
are busier and therefore less accessible to their children than in previous
generations. At the same time, children have fewer opportunities for unstructured
social interactions with their peers where they could learn and practice conflict
resolution. Parents of today need to take a more active role in teaching their
children how to resolve conflict and to get along with others.
The vast research on the effects of children's exposure to media
violence gives us a clear message that it causes children to be more aggressive both
immediately and as they grow older.
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