Findings: TV causes Violence

[P-Chan]

TV breeding 'mean, distrustful' children
August 10, 2002

WATCHING lots of violence on television and playing violent video games not only makes kids more physically aggressive - it also makes them meaner and more distrustful, according to a study.

The findings add to research linking violence in the media with violent behaviour in children and adults, said David Walsh, co-author of the US-based study and head of the National Institute on Media and the Family.

The report found a correlation between exposure to high levels of TV or video game violence and "relational aggression" - behaviour including name-calling, threats and rumour-mongering.

In addition these same children were more likely to view others with the most suspicion, the study said.

"Long before kids throw a punch or pick up a weapon, they're probably treating kids in a relationally aggressive way," Mr Walsh said.

"This is the kind of thing that becomes the breeding ground for more overtly violent behaviour as these kids get older."

The youngsters filled out surveys of their TV viewing and video game habits, and were evaluated by their own teachers and peers in terms of how well they got along with others.

They also took a test to rate their levels of trust and suspicion. Children rated the most ill-behaved reported more exposure to media violence.

The Daily Telegraph

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Hmmm...

Can anyone tell me what's wrong with this study?

[patach]

Sure, if a parent doesn't watch over his or her child and let him watch porno or super "fist of the North Star" violence on TV, and then finds that he beat up a kid "because of that",it should be the parent's responisbility for letting their kid be exposed to things that are meant for older audiences, instead of trying ruin it for the rest of the adults old enough to comprehend that "it's only a videogame" or "it's only a movie".

When you want a child, it's best to remember that it's a fucking human being that you're trying to create, and not some little puppy you can feed a few times a day and then play fetch with. If you can't even watch over a kid to the extent of limiting his TV exposure or buying M rated videogames for him, then you are responsible for the kid's actions when he says he saw the shit in the "Cops" tv show that led him to beat someone over the head with a cardboard made baton.

The question does bring up, can such things lead to school shootings with teenagers? Will a teen play Doom and then proceed to shoot up his friends because he played Doom? Hopefully none of these stupid little "tests" will bring up that "Teenagers are actually stupid enough to emulate a videogame". Definately, high scale violence is not influenced by entertainment, but by internal struggles. The NRA could blame videogames all they want, but if you were beaten up all the time for about 4 years, you'd gain a violent negativity towards the world also.

[the-phantom-spancker]

i read somewhere on msn that video games kill brain cells!
so watch it!

[FreedomSlave]

At 8/17/02 09:20 AM, the_phantom_spancker wrote: i read somewhere on msn that video games kill brain cells!
so watch it!

Many scientific studies have found that playing video games has many positive effects. It improves hand eye co-ordination, lateral thinking and logic.

I did a talk once on wether TV and video games can cause violence. TV and video games are art(i use the term loosely) imitating(and simulating) life. If someone then decides to imitate art then that is because they were fucked up in the first place. Many factors could have caused this, bad parenting, a traumatic emotional experience at home or school(far more common than you'd think) or any number of things.

Anyone that says TV or video games made a kid go crazy and kill someone is just looking for a scapegoat to blame rather than blaming themselves or the system that caused it.

[Chen-Baiwan]

My very young 12 year old frind has been a gamer nearly all his life and he's played MANY violent games...At age 9 he had mortal combat...at age 10 he had Diablo (just to name a few)... Yet he's a very kind-hearted kid...he's not extremely violent...nor is he threatening...and nowadays he prefers complicated strategy games...but then again...he still likes a good DIABLO series game...

[fli]

Letting children see TV without supervison causes violence. I feel that I just wanted to drop kick 3 parents whom brought their children to see "Dawn of the Dead" when I went to the theaters last time... Why do children need to see that?

[RedSkunk]

It's not the tv, it's the fact that instead of doing something beneficial, they're watching tv. They could be outside, working on people skills. Getting parented properly. But instead, they're watching tv - which has very little benefits, besides things like, say, the news and the history channel, which small kids don't typically watch.

So yes, there probably is going to be a correlation with tv usage, and [ insert social ill here ]. But cleaning up television or attacking violent video games won't solve it.

[IllustriousPotentate]

Another thing is that, though the study states that there is a correlation (even though it doesn't say it is a statistically significant correlation), it isn't necessarily directional. That is, while some kids could (and probably do) become anti-social from too much TV or video games, some kids could (and probably do) watch too much TV or video games because they are antisocial.
Bottom line, I think the whole issue is more than what can be summed up in a simple X-->Y causality.

[lapslf]

Here's a thought: can't it be the other way around? Perhaps mean and anti-social kids just have a bigger chance of liking violent video games and movies, because those kind of people just like to see blood and gore and don't want to bother hanging out with other people.

[theburningliberal]

Rant in 3.

2.

1.

TV doesn't cause violence. What causes teen violence among kids is their parents lack of teaching them the difference between what happens in virtual reality (video games, violent sitcoms, on and on) and what happens in the real world. Teen violence is caused by the parents lack of teaching them the difference between what is acceptable in real life versus what you are supposed to be doing in games like Mortal Kombat. A kid by himself isn't going to be able to discover those differences, and as a result, he will not know where the line is between appropriate behavior and inappropriate aggression.

I myself incessantly played violent video games when I was younger. I still would, if I had the time. I, personally, was taught the differences between what I was seeing and what is acceptable in the real world, so I knew that it would be inappropriate for me to do those things in real life. If all players of violent video games were to learn those two lessons, there would be no clear correlation between violence on TV and violence in real life.

In short, it is not the TV's fault for showing violence -- it is the fault of the parents for not differentiating for their children between what is real and what is fake.

[Stevetron]

I think that a select few children take violence ina games and tv out of context. most watch and are entertained i dont think that all children who watch and play will grab a gun and go crazy. thats my 2 cents

[Gorelax]

At 8/10/04 06:00 PM, spanishfli wrote: I feel that I just wanted to drop kick 3 parents whom brought their children to see "Dawn of the Dead" when I went to the theaters last time... Why do children need to see that?

right on

[witeshark]

I really think kids that are violent are predisposed to that. I love fighting games and all my friends that play are never in violence in real life at all

[mrpopenfresh]

Yeah, if your'e predisposed to violence, then tv is only going to encourage you. If your'e a predisposed pacifist, then tv isn't gonna change jackshit. Its all a matter of self control, you wanna be violent, be violent. Don't wanna be violent? Well thats not too hard. Some peopple can't really control this.

[Camarohusky]

At 8/11/04 01:29 PM, mrpopenfresh wrote: Yeah, if your'e predisposed to violence, then tv is only going to encourage you. If your'e a predisposed pacifist, then tv isn't gonna change jackshit. Its all a matter of self control, you wanna be violent, be violent. Don't wanna be violent? Well thats not too hard. Some peopple can't really control this.

And for those predisposed to violence will find that encouragement somewhere, so taking violence out of tv won't do jack shit except leave room for more sex (not a bad thing.)

[mrpopenfresh]

At 8/11/04 01:36 PM, Camarohusky wrote:
And for those predisposed to violence will find that encouragement somewhere, so taking violence out of tv won't do jack shit except leave room for more sex (not a bad thing.)

True, you can never get enough sex on tv. Sometimes I wish that North America would get Scandinavian channels.

[StatiK]

I know this isn't a popular opinion, but I believe that video games can have an adverse effect on the psyche of a child or adolescent, possibly making them more presdisposed towards violence. While video games may have a negligible effect, and TV may have a negligible effect, I think that our culture as whole, including these two factors, promotes an atmosphere of apathy towards violence, where violence is accepted and even encouraged in some situations. If someone physically attacks you, you're expected to physically defend yourself instead of removing yourself from the situation peacefully. If someone offends you, you may be expected to react physically. When children are exposed to violent culture at a point in their life when they're not emotionally or mentally ready, I believe that it can influence them more than many people believe is possible. Parents should use careful discretion when deciding what video games and television are suitable for their children, and should be responsible in ensuring that their children don't see the material they shouldn't.

However, do I think instances where parents blame their children's violent behavior directly on a videogame have any merit? No. The parents need to realize that it's not just that videogame, it's a combination of everything that child has ever seen, and it's much more their fault than the videogames. They should have made sure that their child knew the difference between the TV screen and reality.

I'm going to close this post with some lyrics (even though it's kind of ridiculous to use lyrics in a political debate) that apply perfectly to the situation:

Well, it wasn't me, says the boy with the gun
Sure, I pulled the trigger, but it needed to be done
Because life's been killing me ever since it begun
You can't blame me 'cause I'm too young

Well, you can't blame me, sure the killer was my son
But I didnt teach him to pull the trigger of the gun
It's those video games and this TV screen
You can't blame me, it's those images he sees

Well, you can't blame me, says the media man
Well I wasn't the one who came up with the plan
And I just bought my camera at what the people want to see
Man, it's a two-way mirror and you can't blame me

Well, it was you, it was me, it was every man
We've all got the blood on our hands
We only receive what we demand
And if we want hell, then hell is what we'll have.

(Jack Johnson - Cookie Jar)

[The-Deadly-Spoon]

meh all those studies dont mean much, to have scientific proof you would have to get at least 500 kids with normal behavior, then let half of em watch violent TV and play violent videogames, the other half non violent TV and video games, and then watch for changes in their behavior.
This kind of research doesnt prove anything because violent and distrustful kids might have a tendecy to watch more TV and play more video games to maybe vent those emotions that are already in place.
What I'm saying is this doesnt prove violence in the media make kids violent, it could just as well mean violent kids just like violent TV and video games.. witch makes more sense to me.

[Wraith]

What interests me is, how did they go about this study? What was the control group in this experiment? Could they have compensated for more variables (ie. lack of sleep, possible bad-day, etc). These studys always say stuff like this, but they never explain how they came to their conclusions.

[Raistlin230]

I've heard somewhere (cant remember where, so i cant really back this up, just thought to share) some of the army's 'best' soldiers were video game nuts. Why? Improved hand eye coordination and less reaction time. I can state that i believe this, as I went skeet shooting with 'the guys' of the family, my first time, and I did better than most who had done it for years, because I've played plenty shooter games. I was more alert, and quicker to react.

[RepVenom]

I don't know if that's true or not, but I'll tell ya if I don't get any source of violent entertainment then I WILL grow aggressive and hurt poeple! ;)

[RepVenom]

At 8/10/04 06:00 PM, spanishfli wrote: Letting children see TV without supervison causes violence. I feel that I just wanted to drop kick 3 parents whom brought their children to see "Dawn of the Dead" when I went to the theaters last time... Why do children need to see that?

Same here. I saw Freddy vs Jason in the theatre and a couple rows behind me there was a mom and like 4 children with her, they were all about 6 or 7 years old. I was like "WTF?!". And I bet it's the mom's like her who then complain that their kids grew up violently and blames the movie. >:(

[CRISPY-D]

jennifer garner
Bra & panties
post superbowl

the world has come to an end!

[pielover87]

omg those damn christian preaching bastards are at it again

[fahrenheit]

WOW no one realized that kids become violent while watching TV. i had no idea that taking a gun and blowing a persons head, on a video game, makes me violent??? geez no one payed attention when the crooks said "i guess its all the violence, i remember killing a guy in a VG (video game) and it felt good. and no one pays attention to all of the OTHER studies made by IMPORTANT people

fucking dumbass

</sarcasm>

[Lord-Humungus]

I can tell you whats wrong....they only asked kids what they watched...If they wanted a VALID scientific study they would have to make kids watch violent shows and a controll group watch non-violent ones and see how the kids turned out....junk research pisses me off sooooo much!

[bumcheekcity]

Considering the fact that the most peaceful bunch of weed-smoking pacifist hippies that I know all love playing GTA Vice City, I wouldn't say that there is a strong corrolation. It is probably true that Violent Criminals play violent Video Games. In fact, probably nearly 90% of them do.

However, 100% of Violent Criminals eat bread. I think this is a bigger issue that will keep getting bigger and bigger. The corrolation is there.

[RepVenom]

Yeah I play TONS of violent video games and watch all sorts of violent movies and I'm one of the nicest and most gentle guys you could ever meet in RL.

[Brahma]

Yes it sure dose. O'Rilley is right.

[The-Last-Cynic]

At 8/12/04 01:29 PM, Brahma wrote: Yes it sure dose. O'Rilley is right.

If your going to lick someone's balls, can you spell his name right?