from: http://www.apa.org/pubinfo/violence.html


Violence on Television

What do Children Learn? What Can Parents Do?

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Violent programs on television lead to aggressive behavior by children and
teenagers who watch those programs.

That's the word from a 1982 report by the National Institute of Mental
Health, a report that confirmed and extended an earlier study done by the
Surgeon General. As a result of these and other research findings, the
American Psychological Association passed a resolution in February 1985
informing broadcasters and the public of the potential dangers that viewing
violence on television can have for children.

What Does the Research Show?
Psychological research has shown three major effects of seeing violence on
television:

Children may become less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others
Children may be more fearful of the world around them
Children may be more likely to behave in aggressive or harmful ways toward
others.
Children who watch a lot of TV are less aroused by violent scenes than are
those who only watch a little; in other words, they're less bothered by
violence in general, and less likely to see anything wrong with it. One
example: in several studies, those who watched a violent program instead of
a nonviolent one were slower to intervene or to call for help when, a little
later, they saw younger children fighting or playing destructively.

Studies by George Gerbner, Ph.D., at the University of Pennsylvania, have
shown that children's TV shows contain about 20 violent acts each hour and
also that children who watch a lot of television are more likely to think
that the world is a mean and dangerous place.

Children often behave differently after they've been watching violent
programs on TV. In one study done at Pennsylvania State University, about
100 preschool children were observed both before and after watching
television; some watched cartoons that had a lot of aggressive and violent
acts in them, and others watched shows that didn't have any kind of
violence. The researchers noticed real differences between the kids who
watched the violent shows and those who watched nonviolent ones.

'Children who watch the violent shows, even 'just funny' cartoons, were more
likely to hit out at their playmates, argue, disobey class rules, leave
tasks unfinished, and were less willing to wait for things than those who
watched the nonviolent programs,' says Aletha Huston, Ph.D., now at the
University of Kansas.

Real-Life Studies
Findings from the laboratory are further supported by field studies which
have shown the long-range effects of televised violence. Leonard Eron,
Ph.D., and his associates at the University of Illinois, found that children
who watched many hours of TV violence when they were in elementary school
tended to also show a higher level of aggressive behavior when they became
teenagers. By observing these youngsters until they were 30 years old, Dr.
Eron found that the ones who'd watched a lot of TV when they were eight
years old were more likely to be arrested and prosecuted for criminal acts
as adults.

A Continuing Debate
In spite of this accumulated evidence, broadcasters and scientists continue
to debate the link between the viewing TV violence and children's aggressive
behavior. Some broadcasters believe that there is not enough evidence to
prove that TV violence is harmful. But scientists who have studied this
issue say that there is a link between TV violence and aggression, and in
1992, the American Psychological Association's Task Force on Television and
Society published a report that confirms this view. The report, entitled Big
World, Small Screen: The Role of Television in American Society, shows that
the harmful effects of TV violence do exist.

What Parents Can Do
While most scientists are convinced that children can learn aggressive
behavior from television, they also point out that parents have tremendous
power to moderate that influence.

Because there is a great deal of violence in both adult and children's
programming, just limiting the number of hours children watch television
will probably reduce the amount of aggression they see.

In addition:

Parents should watch at least one episode of the programs their children
watch. That way they'll know what their children are watching and be able to
talk about it with them.

When they see a violent incident, parents can discuss with their child what
caused the character to act in a violent way. They should also point out
that this kind of behavior is not characteristic, not the way adults usually
solve their problems. They can ask their children to talk about other ways
the character could have reacted, or other nonviolent solutions to the
character's problem.

Parents can outright ban any programs that they find too offensive. They can
also restrict their children's viewing to shows that they feel are more
beneficial, such as documentaries, educational shows and so on.

Parents can limit the amount of time children spend watching television, and
encourage children to spend their time on sports, hobbies, or with friends;
parents and kids can even draw up a list of other enjoyable activities to do
instead of watching TV.

Parents can encourage their children to watch programs that demonstrate
helping, caring and cooperation. Studies show that these types of programs
can influence children to become more kind and considerate.

For More Information
If You're Interested in reading more about the research and public issues
discussed in this brochure, you may find the following books and articles
helpful:

Comstock, G. (1991). Television in America. Newbury Park, CA; Sage
Publications.

Huston, A.C., Donnerstein, E., Fairchild, H., Feshbach, N.D., Katz, P.A.,
Murray, J.P. Rubinstein, E.A., Wilcox, B. & Zuckerman, D. (1992). Big World,
Small Screen: The Role of Television in American Society. Lincoln, NE:
University of Nebraska Press.

Liebert, R.M. & Sprefkin. (1988). The Early Window: Effects of Television on
Children and Youth. New York: Pergamon.

Murray, J.P. & Salamon, G. (1984). The Future of Children's Television:
Results of the Markle Foundation/Boys Town Conference. Boys Town, NE. The
Boys Town Center.

National Institute of Mental Health (1982). Television and Behavior: Ten
Years of Scientific Progress and Implications for the Eighties, Volume 1.
Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Palmer, E.L. (1988). Television and America's Children: A Crisis of Neglect.
New York: Oxford University Press.

Singer, D.G., Singer, J.L. & Zuckerman, D.M. (1983). Teaching Television:
How to Use TV to Your Child's Advantage. New York: Dial Press.

Singer, D.G., Singer, J.L. & Zuckerman, D.M. (1983). Getting the Most Out of
Television: Lesson Plans for Teachers and Children. Northbrook, IL.
Scott-Foresman.


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The American Psychological Association (APA) located in Washington, D.C., is
the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology
in the United States and is the world's largest association of
psychologists. APA's membership includes more than 132,000 practitioners,
researchers, educators, consultants and students. Through its divisions in
49 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 58 state and territorial
and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance psychology as a
science, as a profession and as a means of promoting human welfare.


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