Violence In Television And Its Impact On Today’s Society

In our modern-day and age, the media has become a prominent figure in our society and is being used in many ways for the purpose of advertisement, marketing, communication, information, and especially entertainment. The portrayal of violence in television has become a primary and controversial issue in today’s society due to its abundance and the increase of violence it is causing around the world. I strongly believe that violence in television harms society, especially on children, as it promotes aggressive attitudes and behaviours, impacts the psychological development of children, and has a strong correlation with the increase of gun violence (promoting real violence).

First of all, violence in mass media within the U.S. is ubiquitous and is used in many ways to glamorize, sanitize and even used to glorify certain scenes to engage the audience. In reality, this has become a dilemma and taken a toll on the physical health of young children by causing them to develop aggressive attitudes and behaviours. Young children, by nature, learn through role modeling and experience and are quite resilient to copy or imitate what is being portrayed within their environment. For example, according to a famous study, children were shown a video of an adult playing with an inflatable doll. The adult began abusing the doll by sitting on it, punching it and performing other violent actions. When these kids were left with the inflatable doll in a separate room, they imitated the same aggressive behaviours that they saw in the video. Furthermore, this shows that when young children view violence on television, they tend to have a difficult time differentiating whether something is real or fictional and will imitate the actions they observe unknowingly. Also, certain plot elements portrayed within a movie or show play a huge role in promoting aggressive behaviour due to the deceiving manner in which the characters are presented to the audience. When violence within a scene is justified as realistic, weapons are present, the violence is graphic/extensive, and it increases aggressiveness as you deem it to be interesting because it seems surreal to you, yet in most scenarios, it isn’t. According to many studies, “American children watch an average of between three and fours hours of television daily”, which shows that the high television viewing hours among children causes them to keenly observe the violence they see and inherit certain qualities from the characters as well. This shows the extreme consequence of violence in television can have on young children and their behavioural developmental.

Second of all, when it comes to television, young children are the most avid users, and it doesn't help that these age groups are the largest viewers of shows and cartoons that promote violence. These children are at a vulnerable age where their brains are still developing and are very likely to absorb everything they see, which ultimately affects their psychological development. For instance, according to Aimee Topkins, a psychologist, “children who view media violence are more likely to have increased feelings of hostility and decreased emotional response to the portrayal of violence”. Moreover, when young children view violence being subjected at a certain character, it causes a chemical change in the brain which is similar to that of post-traumatic stress disorder, as their brain reacts to the scene as if they have been mistreated or abused themselves. When children are accustomed to this type of content, their brains become numb to an extent where they begin to lack empathy, appreciation, and affection for others. This also goes in hand with the development of a child from adolescence to adulthood because what they learn as a child sticks with them thoroughly, and certain imbalances that one encounters at a young age can come at a huge cost. Violence is considered to be a major imbalance which can destroy one’s psychological and emotional compatibility, as this is what defines who we are and play a huge role in shaping our personality. According to Dr. Gail Gross, “young children become more violent themselves as teenagers, and tend to have more encounters with the law as adults” (Huffington Post, Gross), which shows the disturbing danger there is to violent TV viewing.

Furthermore, violent TV viewing from a young age can seriously affect the psychological development of a child and can take a toll on one’s life as they grow since it will lead them astray and get them involved in activities that are against the law. Finally, in recent years, we have seen a dramatic increase in the number of mass school shootings occurring in the U.S. alone. While many have mixed beliefs as to what is igniting rage within the shooter to commit such horrendous crimes, it is highly due to the impact that gun violence within television has on people of all ages. The main issue is that the normalization of gun violence in television has made it seem acceptable in the real world, which is also instilling a sense of desensitization. This makes individuals feel less sensitive to the idea of violence and the aftermath of the pain it can cause, which is usually the main motive that provokes an individual to carry out a vengeful act. According to statistics, school shootings in the U.S. alone have rapidly risen since the 1980s. With only 39 deaths back then, compared to now, the amount has tripled to 113 deaths in 2018 (Patch, Dalbey). Subsequently, this shows how violence in television has been normalized by our society to the point where it has caused a spike in violent crime and has put people at risk of their safety.

Also, at this time, our society is beginning to suffer from the effects of gun violence because many innocent lives are being a lot and forced to put up with unsafe conditions. For instance, after the horrific Stoneman Douglas High School shooting occurred in 2018, many people (mainly students) stepped forward to take action and began their initiative for tighter gun control, leading up to the March For Our Lives. This conveys that it's not only victims that are viewing violent television which is being affected, but it is also the people who witness these actions of violent crime that are being affected as well. This shows the effect that violence in television has is not directed at some individuals, yet it is a chain reaction which connects and exerts influence on society as well. Therefore, our world has begun advancing technologically at a rate where the content being produced is drastically changing, which is being put out on the internet, newspapers, and especially on television. In particular, violence is amongst one of the most controversial contents within television, as it has become a prominent norm within our society and entertainment culture. Although the effects of violence in television is a hotly debated topic, it certainly harms society as it promotes aggressive attitudes and behaviours, impacts the psychological development of children, and has a strong correlation with the increase of gun violence (promoting real violence).