VIOLENCE ON TV AND
HOW IT CAN AFFECT YOUR CHILDREN
By Dr. Gail Gross
Studies show that violence on TV does have an adverse affect on children
and the way they think and act. This is true not only for young children,
but some recent studies indicate that watching violence on TV can even impact
adults.
We know that for the most part, children learn from both experience
and social learning or role modeling. Therefore when children, especially
young children, see violence on TV, they have a difficult time differentiating
between what is real or what is make believe and therefore tend to emulate
or copy what they are seeing. Furthermore, there is a chemical change in
the brain, similar to that which is seen in post traumatic stress disorder;
and if enough violence is viewed, the brain reacts as if the person doing
the viewing has actually been abused. This is especially true if the violence
is one sided as in the case of sadistic violence. Now add to this the fact
that children who watch violence on TV have brains that are still developing,
and you can see how really dangerous TV viewing can be.
We know for instance
that children are psychologically affected by having less empathy, a characteristic
we see in bullies; that they are more likely to use aggressive strategies
to solve their problems rather then to search for more peaceful methods
of conflict resolution; that they tend to be more reactive rather then proactive
- relying more on knee jerk reactions to resolve frustrations; and finally,
that they appear to be more fearful of social relationships which make
them bite before they can be bitten. This perception of danger, when coupled
with a lack of empathy, can lead to sadistic behavior. Moreover, children
seeing too much violence on TV are more likely to be argumentative, as they
have dispensed with the slow caution of inhibitors. These children act out
in class and are more likely to be the class bully. Since they seem to less
patient than their counterparts, studies show that children who watch too
much violence on TV appear to be more unwilling to cooperate, and delay gratification.
Therefore, they seem demonstrate a strong sense of entitlement.
In addition
there are other potential dangers to violent TV viewing and one of the
most disturbing is that young children become more violent themselves as teenagers,
and tend to have more encounters with the law as adults. What can parents
do about it? Well parents have a number of remedies at their disposal
and they include:
- Parents have the power to moderate their
children's TV viewing. Parents are entitled to parent
and that includes checking in every once and a while to
monitor what their children are actually watching on TV.
- Parents can and should establish house rules
for TV viewing. This means how many hours a week, where
TV is to be watched, as well as what kind of programming.
- Parents should supervise their children's
TV viewing by watching at least one episode of whatever
their children's selections are so that the parents
decide if the programming is appropriate.
- Parents should monitor news programs. Repetitive
violence in the news is very disturbing to a young
mind. And such violent overload can be directly linked
to changes in the brain similar to that seen in abuse.
In fact, these changes can actually be viewed on an MRI.
- Parents should view current events on TV
with their children so that they can explain any confusing
or inappropriate material to their children.
- Just say “no” to offensive programming.
That is what it is to be a parent.
- Encourage your children to spend their free
time in other ways other then TV watching such as reading
a good book during the week and watching TV only on
the weekends; outdoor sports; arts and crafts; journal
writing and play-days with peers can alter, and even break
the hypnotic TV habit.
- Boundaries are important to you and your
children. Set them by creating new models for family
time that are interactive rather than passive.
- Show your children the inspirational part
of TV such as the Discovery Channel, the History Channel,
Biography, and Nova.
- Finally, parents must be what they want to see. Modeling
is an essential part of parenting, and since we know that
violence on TV negatively affects adults as well - lead
your family to healthier viewing and happier living ...
together.
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