For this assignment, I watched two hours of children's television programing to observe the large amounts of violent acts that occurr in the media.  I then came to a conclusion about the possible effects violence can have on a child, and about why some children are affected more than others.

I believe children are exposed to too much violence on television.  To come to this conclusion, I watched four different television programs, geared towards young children, and I noticed a high number of violent acts in each programs, with one including 31 acts of violence.  Children watch these programs often, since they are not being properly supervised by their parents.  I think watching these violence scenes on television can affect a child’s behavior.  They can see something portrayed on television and then try to reenact it in their life.  Some children do not understand that violence is bad, but since it was on television they think it must be okay.

Weapons and violence tend to be glorified on television.  It seems almost natural because we view it so often in our television programs and in other forms of media.  Many of the show’s superheroes and stars act violently or rely on weapons to win.  I think children need to be shown that there are other ways to solve problems besides violence.  Parents need to talk to their children about what is being shown on television.  They need to make sure their child understands what is real and not.  Parents need to also supervise what their children are watching to make sure it is appropriate.

Some children may see violence and not be influenced by it.  I think that a lot depends on their life situations.  Children who are in a high socioeconomic class and have many resources and support, might not need to rely on violence to achieve attention or enjoyment.  Other children who grow up in terrible neighborhoods and are in poverty, probably see violence outside of the television every day anyway.  They might decide it is their only choice, since they see others in their community resort to violence.  There are a growing number of violent acts in the media, and it is important that everyone takes action to prevent children from viewing programs that promote violence. 

*Graphic from the website: http://www.co.el-dorado.ca.us/socialservices/foster_care.html