How does watching TV generate violent behaviour in people, especially young children and teenagers? Studies published in the journal “Communication Research” have revealed that there is a cohesive risk factor between and aggression which established Links between media violence and behaviour. It was specifically observed that children who watched too many violent programs were three times more likely to become aggressive and become violent towards others than children who did not watch as much TV Studies have demonstrated that very young children do not have the capability to distinguish between fact and fantasy, and children will copy violent acts shown on TV because they might think that this behaviour is acceptable because it is shown on TV.
The fact is that violence on TV and movies gives the impression that violence resolves conflicts which shows the Links between media violence and behaviour. It is efficient, frequent and negligible. The hero is termed to a “cool guy” and is usually rewarded for his violent behaviour. These heroes become role models for youth and convey the message that it is okay to carry automatic to knock off the bad guys. The typical theme of movies that violence is right when it is used to right wrong translates into the justification for children that it is allowed to use violence against perceived victimizers.
Regrettably there are very few movies that encourage non-violent conflict resolutions in the media. One reason for this is that such movies or TV programs do not do well commercially, and producers might even lose money in making such movies which shows the Links between media violence and behaviour. Children who watch violent movies are desensitized to it because they think that violence is an integral part of life and they lose their ability to have compassion with both the victim and the oppressor and tend to solve their problems with their perceptions.
Another established fact for violent tendencies in children is that around 15% of the music that children are exposed contains violent content and indicates the Links between media violence and behaviour. These studies clearly support the hypothesis that exposure to violent TV programs, video games and music constitute a public health threat to children and youths, which includes college age youth. Another study published in the “Lancet” in 2005 collected all the evidence for that year and reached the conclusion that there is “consistent evidence that the violence images on TV, computer games and the music that they listen to has both a long and short terms effect on provocation.