 The Kids Are Quietly Watching TV. Everything’s OK, Right?
Aggressive Behavior Is Learned Behavior.
Young people will see about 10,000 violent acts each year
The average will see more than 200,000 acts of violence on TV before age 18
That includes about 16,000 murders
The average child will spend about 28 hours a week watching TV
Many spend more time with TV than school or asleep
Four health professional groups, including the American Medical Association, have concluded that viewing entertainment violence can lead to increases in aggressive attitudes, values and behaviors, particularly in children.
Hundreds of scientific studies conducted over decades have shown that there may be harmful effects from viewing violence on television:
Children learn aggressive behaviors and attitudes
They become desensitized toward violence in the real world
They may fear being victimized, leading to mistrust of others
They could be in trouble and have poor grades at school
Results are especially harmful when a character, such as a superhero, is rewarded for violence
Even when violence is mixed with humor, it’s desensitizing, making violence seem acceptable
Parents want to know if there is a way to reduce or eliminate these influences on their children’s behavior, There is. TV Teaches Violence
Get Involved. Take Control.
Turn Violence Off For Your Family.
And Have Fun!
Don’t forget: You are the parent. You have control. Take it!
Don’t just park your kids in front of the TV. Even so-called “children’s programming,” such as Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel, is full of violent acts, with as many as 60 such acts per hour.
Watch what your children watch. See it through their eyes. Discuss acts of violence and their consequences.
Play games. Engage in family activities. Even doing chores together is preferable to the constant bombardment of violence on television, movies, video games and music.
Talk with your kids. Tell them that real live heroes don’t use violence to solve problems. In real life, violence leads to pain, jail time and suffering for friends and family members for years to come.
Limit their exposure to television, the internet and music with violent lyrics. Experts say that one or two hours a day is more than enough. Watch TV with your children. Discuss what you watch. Explain how violent stunts are faked and that the results of real-life violence are devastating. Encourage your children to watch non-violent programming, like PBS, Animal Planet and The Discovery Channel.
Perhaps most importantly, for your family, Turn Violence Off.
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