The Effects of TV Violence on Teenagers

The scenario is one that is repeated, day after day, with alarming regularity, in every corner of the so-called civilized world: seemingly average teenagers erupt with acts of violence, and in the aftermath, those around them continue to ask themselves what went wrong. More importantly, they also ask if there is something that could have been done to stop everything before this tragic climax. With prevention and the development of violent tendencies in teenagers in mind, one factor that is frequently cited as a negative influence on teenagers is television violence. In this paper, the various effects of television violence on teenagers will be explored, and upon conclusion of the paper, a better understanding of the many facets of the topic will be gained.

How and Why Teenagers Watch Television

Before addressing the violence aspect of television, and exactly how this affects teenagers, it is important to first understand exactly how and why teenagers watch television in the first place.

Long before the teenage years, children learn to watch television not through an active effort of learning specific skills that must be honed through deliberate effort on the part of the child, but rather through passive intake of television content (Gunter, et al, 1997). What this means in the simplest terms is that the television, with its wide range of sounds and multitude of various images, is something that captures the attention of developing children due to their need for visual and audible stimulation. This stimulation is constantly administered to the child, for example, when parents realize that placing the child in front of the television keeps them occupied, and more importantly for weary parents, quiet (Potter, et al, 2000). With this "intake factor" of television in mind, it is easy to see how the negative and positive portion of television content can shape the mind of a child.

The Context of Television Violence

For the teenager, perhaps as important as the constant presence of violent television, is the context in which the television content is presented. Depending upon the viewing choices that are made, the violent content may or may not be blatantly presented.

Individuals may become desensitized to violence not only due to the huge volume of violent content being shown on television, but also because of the forms that the depictions of violence often take.(Price, 1998) Violent content, by all indications, is equal opportunity: the very young are shown exaggerated violence in cartoons, teenagers are shown what is presented as acceptable violence in the form of the "reality shows" that have saturated modern television programming, and even talk shows and daytime dramas readily present violence as a commonplace and worthwhile activity.

Graphic depictions of brutal violence are likewise quite common in television programming, but because of the previously mentioned desensitization, by the time a teenager, for example, sees outright violence on television, they have become accustomed to violence and no longer are shocked by such content. This comfort level with television violence, therefore, makes an easy transition in the teenager from the fiction of a television program to the factual circumstances of their real lives.

Teenager's Moral Bankruptcy as a Result of Television Violence

Teenagers have a major amount of side effects as the result of violence on television. After a childhood of absorbing violent television content, as was detailed in earlier portions of this paper, another turning point that amplifies the effect of television violence on the teenager is acceptance of the violent acts that the teenager views on television (Mcnamara, 1998). This acceptance happens in gradual stages over many years, beginning with the child's total acceptance of the television as a companion, teacher, and babysitter. With this comfort level firmly established, and the child moving into the teenage years when they are highly vulnerable to influence, they begin to see a blurring of the lines between right and wrong on the part of the characters they have come to know, and trust, on television; for example, the teenager may watch programming that shows drug dealers or organized crime figures as role models. When these role models use violence as a means of getting what they want, it appears to be acceptable because the programs do not show defined areas of right and wrong, nor do they show wrongdoers being punished for their violent acts, but quite the opposite (Potter, et al, 2000). The criminals are usually the ones that are shown to be smart and right, with law enforcement or other authority figures depicted as unsophisticated, clueless fools who do not have the right to take action against others.

Moral relativism and a constant reinforcement in the mind of the teenage television viewer that right and wrong is not a question of laws or even moral absolutes teaches the

teenager that virtually any means that they need to get what they want, including acting out violently, is not improper- a classic case of might makes right. Television violence may have an even more dramatic effect on teenagers who already have emotional problems and have demonstrated aggressive behavior in the past. This was verified in a 1982 National Institutes of Mental Health report, which stated in part that "violent television played a significant part in the lives of young people and had a general potential to influence their aggressive behavior... The overall conclusion of this body of investigation was that regular exposure to television violence is a causal agent underpinning the aggressive dispositions of the young, and may be especially significant among children and teenagers who already exhibit aggressive personalities" (Mcnamara, 1998) . In this situation, violent television only fuels the unacceptable behavior of teenagers who have other personality flaws.

Aside from the extreme scenario of the teenager erupting into massive violence because of saturation with violent television viewing, there can also be less intense, but likewise unacceptable behavior and value systems. This has been referred to by various names, but perhaps the most fitting name for this phenomenon is "Moral Bankruptcy", which is to say that the individual, due to not having a solid sense of right and wrong, is motivated to behave not in a way that he or she knows to be acceptable in a legal and/or moral context, but rather in a way that will benefit them most (The Washington Times, 2003). In this instance, the lack of a moral code, which had its beginnings in childhood and reinforcement during the teenage years, becomes firmly set in adulthood. The common denominator in all of these stages is a steady supply of violent television to all but ensure that morals and values are diluted.
Television Violence "Eats Books"

In addition to the problems that television violence brings to the teenager, there are also some important things that television violence takes away from the teenager, compromising their potential in adulthood. What is taken away from the teenager is the opportunity to become an educated individual, which of course compromises the possibility of a productive, high quality life later on (Woiwode, 1993). This happens for several main reasons; first, televised violence becomes a sort of addiction for the impressionable teenager, and the time that this television viewing occupies takes away from the time that the teenager would most likely be using to study, read, and otherwise enrich their lives.

Another allegation that is leveled against television violence is that it "eats books", meaning that due to the fact that the individual, by the time that they become a teenager, has been brainwashed into thinking that morals are unnecessary, respect for others is unproductive, and getting what one wants is simply a matter of being stronger than someone else in order to gain it. Therefore, the television, as it has been for all of the teenager's life, also becomes the source of information rather than a book or a magazine. For example, rather than reading about a current news event, the individual need only turn on the television and watch one of the many news channels which feature 24 hour news coverage. Along with that coverage, the news networks, in an effort to show that they have the complete coverage of the particular story, will show live or previously taped footage of what are often violent and bloody events. Because people are desensitized to violence, they continue to consume this violent footage and think nothing unusual of it. In a vicious cycle, because the violent content of the televised news is seen as nothing out of the ordinary, the television is used more and more for information, and books are thrown by the wayside-in effect, eaten.

Television Violence and Urban Teenagers

A common perception among most people today is that urban teenagers are all violent thugs with no moral compass; while it is absurd to say that "all" urban teenagers are violent by nature, there is evidence to suggest that urban teenagers are more greatly affected by television violence because of their surroundings, which tend to reinforce the violent lifestyle (Reed, 1996).

The urban setting lends itself to violence because of the large numbers of drug addicts, homeless individuals, and poor, all of whom may turn to violent crime to gain the money that they need to feed their addictions-or their families. By introducing a teenager into this everyday violence, and adding a steady diet of television violence, the combination produces what is commonly viewed as the stereotypical urban teenager. Although violent television is not the sole motivator for urban teenagers gone bad, it certainly plays a pivotal role.

Conclusion

In this paper, it has been shown that television violence can have quite the negative influence on teenagers. Because of this, the challenge lies ahead for teachers, parents, and other role models to teach children right and wrong before they become teenagers and reinforce this during the formative teenage years in order to produce morally upright adults.

References

Gunter, B., & Mcaleer, J. (1997). Children and Television. London: Routledge.
Mcnamara, J. (1998, January). Anything Goes: Moral Bankruptcy of Television and Hollywood. USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), 126, 62+.
Potter, W. J., & Smith, S. (2000). The Context of Graphic Portrayals of Television Violence. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 44(2), 301.
Price, J. H. (1998, March 26). Movies, TV Blamed for School Violence. The Washington Times, p. 8.
Reed, F. (1996, September 30). Prosecutor Tries to Explain Urban Violence. The Washington Times, p. 2.
TV Violence Linked to Aggression; Children's Viewing Tied to Adult Acts. (2003, March 11). The Washington Times, p. A01.
Woiwode, L. (1993, March). Television: The Cyclops That Eats Books. USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), 121, 84+.