This article originally appeared in the January-February 1997 Children's Advocate newsmagazine, published by Action Alliance for Children.

Toxic Lessons

What Do Children Learn from Media Violence?

By Jean Tepperman

Does media violence promote violent behavior?

"Since 1955, about 1,000 studies, reports, and commentaries concerning the impact of television violence have been published. The accumulated research clearly demonstrates a correlation between viewing violence and aggressive behavior."

That statement, made by the American Psychological Association in 1992, summarized its comprehensive review of research on the effects of media violence. Other organizations including the American Medical Association, National Institutes of Mental Health, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control came to similar conclusions.

One key study that showed the connection between media violence and real violence was the one by Dr. Leonard D. Eron. He followed a group of young people for 22 years and found that those who watched more television at age eight were more likely, at age 30, to have committed more serious crimes, to be more aggressive when drinking, and to punish their children more harshly than others. Others have repeated Eron's study and found similar results throughout the United States and other countries as well.

Another researcher, University of Washington epidemiologist Brandon Centerwall, surveyed young male felons imprisoned for committing violent crimes. Between one-quarter and one-third reported having consciously imitated crime techniques they saw on television.

"Laboratory" studies, says Ronald Slaby, media-violence expert at the Education Development Center, also show that media violence has an "aggressor effect." Children who watch a violent TV show, for example, act more aggressive immediately after the show.

How does TV violence mislead young people?

Children and youth are affected by the sheer quantity of violence on TV and in the movies. But perhaps more damaging are the false messages that media violence sends.

* Violence is often rewarded and seldom has negative consequences. According to the 1992 National Television Violence Study by Mediascope, perpetrators go unpunished in 73 percent of all violent scenes on television.

* Violence is everywhere. Slaby tells the story of a preschooler who was informed of the death of her friend's father. "Who killed him?" she asked. Her question reflected the assumption, drawn from television, that violence was the normal cause of death.

* Violence is justified. Much of the violence on television is committed by the "hero" of the show. The National Television Violence Study found that aggression by "good guys" is rarely punished; even "bad guys" are punished only 62 percent of the time. Power Rangers, like countless war movies, teaches that violence by "good guys" is not only justified but heroic.

* Violence is funny. Laugh tracks in shows like The Three Stooges often follow actions like whacking someone over the head. Children's cartoons are especially likely to present violence as funny.

* Violence is pleasurable. Clint Eastwood, in Dirty Harry, finds violence so enjoyable that he encourages people to provoke him -- a violent act would "make my day."

Which young people are most susceptible to influence by media violence?

Three factors are strong predictors, according to Slaby:

1) Identifying with one of the characters. The response, therefore, depends on which character the viewer identifies with. Since aggressors in the media are usually male and females are usually victims, for example, boys are more likely to respond with aggression and girls with fear.

2) Interpreting what they see as realistic and relevant to their own lives. Media violence is more likely to have a strong effect, therefore, on children who see violence in their lives. It also has a stronger effect on young children, who lack the real-life experience to judge whether something they see is realistic.

3) Personal fantasizing about the characters on a violent show. Daydream "reruns" increase the influence of scenes a child has watched.

In addition, says Slaby, the context in which violence is presented is crucial. In Shakespeare's tragedies and in TV shows like the popular Civil War series, violence is shown realistically, with its suffering and tragic aftermath. But such realistic, "prosocial" portrayals of violence account for only about 4 percent of TV programming.

How do most children and young people react to media violence?

Most people, of course, don't become violent when they watch TV or movie violence. But they may be affected in other ways. Slaby lists four effects of media violence:

* an aggressor effect--encouraging violent behavior
* a victim effect--increasing fearfulness
* a bystandereffect--leading to callousness, accepting violence as normal
* an appetite effect--building a desire to watch more violence.

These effects combine, says media expert George Gerbner of the Annenberg Center for Public Policy, University of Pennsylvania, to create a "mean world syndrome," a perception that the community and society in which we live are frightening and crime-ridden.

On a personal level, according to Gerbner, these fears lead to alienation and isolation. On a policy level, they fuel support for "repressive policies and increased incarceration." Violence-prevention expert Deborah Prothrow-Stith of the Harvard School of Public Health, says media violence both reflects and contributes to a growing "culture of meanness," a fertile ground for real-life violence.

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