Do you think media violence causes aggression in children?

Question

Do you think media violence causes aggression in children?

Answer 1

yes violence and aggression are learned behaviors.  If a child is raised in a violent society then he learns violence.

Answer 2

I think, in spite of the reams of research both confirming and refuting that media violence causes aggression in children, it gets down to personal beliefs and knowledge about how humans grow and develop.

Our species, inarguably, has aggressive tendencies hard-wired in us from birth (regardless of whether your belief is of a supreme being creating life or the evolutionary process).  At the most basic level, our hard-wiring is for us (as an organism) to survive.

As such, if you hold the assumption that aggression is in all of us, then it seems reasonable to next ask, okay, what makes someone more aggressive than another?  And here's where the debate heats up and the respective camps divide.

One of the most fascinating aspects of human nature is the capacity to learn and, generally, learning is recognized as contingent on our memory ... that is, we attend to a stimuli (a violent image; even in a cartoon) we decode it, store it, retain it and, at some point -depending on its strength- we recall it to provide a relative perspective (or reference) to what we are experiencing at another point in time.

If our memory -our experiences- is based on violent images, sounds, languages, and behaviors, without any interventions (such as an adult or parent explaining the violence) or balance of experiences that are non-aggressive, it seems likely that any situation that triggers the aggressive tendency would then be met with aggression (violence).

Of course, this is much too complex of an issue to be left to pundits, the casual observer (me) or anyone who may have an ax to grind -or product to sell.  This is best left for our brain researchers and alike who study and experience the rarified world of neurons, synapses, and the molecular basis for memory.

It is rather stimulating to think about it though ....

Answer 3

No, of course not.  Video games, TV shows, and movies do not CAUSE violence in children.  If a kid is violent and aggressive, then there is something wrong with them, and that's it.  Parents want to blame anything and everything for their kid's failings rather than acknowledge that there is a real problem with the child's personality and nature.  It's pathetic when a parent can't face up to what their own off-spring is.

Answer 4

Psycholgocal research confirms that it does. While it does not always guarantee aggression, it is a strong indicator. In a study, they put children in two groups. One group watched a cartoon that portrayed violence, the other group watch a cartoon with little violence. After this, the children were put together in a room with toys to play. Children who had just watched the violent cartoon struck other children and called names when they desired a toy than the group of children who hadn't watched violent television.

Answer 5

There has been alot of research into this phenomenon and one of the theories that has come about, social behavior theory explains how children tend to model behavior that they see or watch. Therefore, with the range of violence that is shown on television I have no doubt that children are going to display aggressive behavior from watching these violent shows.

Answer 6

Absolutely.  Also media over-coverage of tragic events like the Columbine massacre.  There were many copy-cat events like that- though not on that scale- that were perpetrated by kids who wanted their 15 minutes of infamy.

Answer 7

People can be weak minded and use the media as a means and a scapegoat to be aggressive or they can innately be aggressive.

It comes down to irresponsibility or choice.

Our children watch violence in movies, video games, and cartoons and at 11 and 14 years of age they have not attacked anyone.

But we as parents also take the time to explain the penal system. The cons of breaking the law and every horrible aspect of it.

Answer 8

If it did aggression among children would be very wide spread.

Answer 9

Only if you let your kids watch it.