Children, Media, and Violence Essay -- Media Violence and Aggression

"The evidence is overwhelming. To argue against it, the link between media violence and teen violence is like arguing against gravity," said Jeffrey McIntyre, legislative and federal affairs officer for the American Psychological Association. As children are exposed to acts of violence in the media through television, video games, music, movies, etc. alarming results are occurring. The main negative effect being an increase in aggression among youth who are regularly exposed to the media and an increase in violent patterns as they mature into adulthood. If not resolved this problem of violence in the media will continue to push children, youth and adults to acts of aggression such as verbal and physical abuse and other more serious crimes. On average an American child will see 16,000 murders and 200,000 acts of violence by the age of 18 through the television. Thousands of studies from the 1950s to the present day have all suggested that viewing violent acts will increase violent behavior while only less than 20 have suggested otherwise (Boyse). As our children are exposed to these 16,000 murders and 200,000 violent acts one can only conclude that aggression, crime and violence can only increase in our younger generations from being exposed to the current media. One study, done by a panel of experts, showed that when youth are exposed short term to violent movies, television and video games that there is an increase in aggressive thinking and behavior. Their studies also show a long term effect into adulthood when individuals are continually exposed to violent media growing up, with spouse abuse and other aggressive acts (Huesmann). I personally remember growing up playing violent video games such as Halo and hearing, ... ...Mathis Grayson, Charlotte. â€Å"Media Violence May Affect Children's Minds.† WebMD. June 2005. Web. March 2012 Palo Alto Medical Foundation. 2012. Sutter Health. 3 March 2012 Park, Alice. â€Å"How Playing Violent Video Games May Change the Brain.† Healthland: Time Mag., 2 Dec. 2011. Web. March 2012. Wang, Yang. â€Å"Violent Video Games Alter Brain Function in Young Men.† Medical School News 1 Dec. 2011. Indiana U. Web. March 2012.