Is Television Desensitizing Children?

The debate as to whether or not television desensitizes children has been a long and controversial one. On one hand, some people claim that television is not responsible for the emotional degradation of children and that the fault lies in other aspects. The opposing group firmly believes that television is to blame for desensitization. As for many of the readers of this article, they just wonder what the heck desensitization is. Allow me to explain, if you will.

Desensitization is the process by which a person grows more used to something. For example, a person who is afraid of spiders may be exposed to spiders more and more often, again and again, until they no longer have any fear of the arachnid. The concept is used to treat patients with phobias and irrational fears but it also has the potential to be harmful. A person who kills another person might be uncomfortable with it the first several times it happens, but over time they grow used to it. It becomes easier. Eventually they are able to kill without any negative response at all. So what does this have to do with children and television?

The idea behind the desensitization of today's youth is that televisions are to blame. More accurately, the media is to blame. Repeated showings of violence on the news, in television shows, in theatrical movies and wrestling programs may cause children who are watching them to become used to the violence, therefore it does not bother them as much if it happens in real life. They are more prone to causing violent acts. The same principle applies to sex. Children see sex happening on television all the time and they start to believe that sex is the "norm" in society. They may be more open to it and more comfortable with risky acts, such as sleeping with strangers whose names they do not even know.

Of course, if this is indeed the case, the media is not the sole owner of the blame. Parents can be blamed for not regulating what their kids watch and television networks can be blamed for not censoring violence and sex on their programs. Movie theaters can be blamed for not having stricter control over who views their films. No matter who the blame falls on, the fact still remains. Something is causing the youth of America to lose their proper emotional and rational response to unusual situations.

No sources were used in this article.