Does violence on tv really influence kids?
Robert Winston's programme, "Child of our Times" is on tv in the background right now and he's talking about whether or not violence on television influences the behaviors of children. I wrote a paper on this topic at university and my conclusion was HELL YES!!! (got an A+ on the paper).
One of the examples I used was my very own. I remember watching the cartoon, "Tom & Jerry" as a kid and as usual, they were chasing each other around creating obstacles that would hurt, maim or kill each other in reality, but since it was a cartoon, they always got up again. In this episode, Jerry put a rake in Tom's path and Tom stepped on the tines only to have the stick fly up and smack him in the face. Of course in the cartoon, Tom's head shook back and forth, his eyes crossed and little birdies flew in a circle around his head, but he went on to chase Jerry again and again.
Later on, I was outside playing and noticed that my father had left a rake out in the grass. This was one of those old heavy rakes with iron tines, not the lightweight rakes you can get today. I suddenly remembered the cartoon and decided to give it a try. Needless to say, upon stepping on the tines, the heavy stick came flying up and hit me smack in the middle of my forehead. I sported a lovely red, and very visible, egg bump on my forehead for several days afterward! ;p
So, my conclusion once again: violence on tv does without a doubt influence children...it's only natural. Kids are curious and learn by example. So, if a kid sees something they don't understand on tv, and they have the opportunity to re-enact it, they'll certainly do so just in order to understand it.
One of the examples I used was my very own. I remember watching the cartoon, "Tom & Jerry" as a kid and as usual, they were chasing each other around creating obstacles that would hurt, maim or kill each other in reality, but since it was a cartoon, they always got up again. In this episode, Jerry put a rake in Tom's path and Tom stepped on the tines only to have the stick fly up and smack him in the face. Of course in the cartoon, Tom's head shook back and forth, his eyes crossed and little birdies flew in a circle around his head, but he went on to chase Jerry again and again.
Later on, I was outside playing and noticed that my father had left a rake out in the grass. This was one of those old heavy rakes with iron tines, not the lightweight rakes you can get today. I suddenly remembered the cartoon and decided to give it a try. Needless to say, upon stepping on the tines, the heavy stick came flying up and hit me smack in the middle of my forehead. I sported a lovely red, and very visible, egg bump on my forehead for several days afterward! ;p
So, my conclusion once again: violence on tv does without a doubt influence children...it's only natural. Kids are curious and learn by example. So, if a kid sees something they don't understand on tv, and they have the opportunity to re-enact it, they'll certainly do so just in order to understand it.