Pediatricians Take on Media Violence

In response to zasios13, yes parents do need them to tell them. Parenting in this day and age has gone downhill in a lot of homes. Parents are too worried about being their kids friends instead of their parents. The amount of time kids spend with their parents compared to the amount of time they spend immersed in various forms of media is pathetic. The fact is parents have turned over their duties to the media, from computers to cell phones, to those annoying DVD players in the back seats of their SUV's. We are too busy, too selfish, or too scared to parent and we look for media to step in and babysit. From the day we are born we become influenced by our environment. A child doesn't grow up in an English speaking home and then suddenly begin to speak French. We are very much like sponges and we absorb so much of what we see and hear. That's why so many teenagers wear their pants down to their knees even though they can barely walk without tripping. Thats why older generations wore bell bottoms and big hair do's. They were influenced by popular culture. To say there isn't any influence is just denial in my opinion. We are always influenced, some clearly more than others due to other factors When that exposure is negative, crude, and violent just for the sake of violence, the influence can have negative results. This site does list the results- lack of empathy, desensitization, anxiety, and aggressive behaviors. Oh, and yes, it is obvious that other factors contribute to violence like you mentioned. Still, should we throw kerosene on the fire?

I'm ticked off, I'm tired of this. Where the hell are they collecting this information? "Exposure to violence in media, including television, movies, music, and video games, represents a significant risk to the health of children and adolescents.", what bull is that? I could understand children being affected, and I mean CHILDREN, as in less than about 10-12 years of age, but teenagers? No. Why do people think that "minors" are completely incapable of distinguishing fantasy from reality? The fact itself is shoved down our throats so often that its almost impossible not to know the difference To me, someone who has never played a video game in his/her life, then plays a game later on (around teen or later years) is going to have a harder time distinguishing reality from fantasy than a kid who has been playing games from a young age, up into their teens, because they already know whats the difference after years of playing (and hopefully, their parents have been informing them of what is real and what is fake, but that doesn't mean they censor everything, they just explain what their children are seeing). If I ever go to a pediatrician and he or she starts telling me to stop playing games because its "harming" me in his/her opinion, I'll just laugh and walk away, because ironically, games have helped me develop not only my talents in the real world, but friendships with people at school. Apparently they seem to think bad teachers, the school faculty, horrible school conditions, bullies, over-working on homework, stress in class, gangs formed by people WHO DON'T EVEN PLAY VIDEO GAMES, are not factors in anger or violence between students, oh no, of course not. Its totally all violent media and entertainment now. Schools are totally perfect places where teens and kids are not affected mentally at all (major sarcasm just in case you couldn't detect it). If you are a teen, I highly encourage you to stand against this (peacefully, mind you, peaceful protests tend to make the biggest dents in our enemies) do everything you can to fight for your freedom without violence. Teenage years are the last years of childhood, and you should not have those years taken away from you by your parents or these so called experts. Enjoy your youth for every second you have of it, because once you hit your adult years, your free time begins to drain, and life comes crashing down on you. Life goes by too fast to worry about these silly things. (Not to say adult years are completely boring, though, just that childhood is something I wish I could hold on to forever)

Its because media is exposing different kinds of crimes and violence even to younger kids. A recent study was done to see if there was a correlation between neighborhood violence in areas with payday lending. It was done with cooperation between George Washington and Nor Cal University, and they used Seattle, Washington, as their model. They found that areas with payday lending did have higher rates/incidents of violence. However, they failed to mention this gem: Areas with higher poverty (poverty increases demand for payday lending) have higher areas of violence – universally. (History has proven it time and again, and will continue to.) Correlation does not imply causality, in other words; to insist it does is a logical fallacy. Instead of blaming payday lending, they should blame the conditions that created payday loan demand – like poverty.

I think that this issue of violence in the media (whether in games for teens, young children, or tv shows and movies) is one that many parents grapple with. There are so many voices on each side of the debate that it is difficult to make a decision and stick with it when it comes to what is okay for your kids.

Common Sense Media helps with their more detailed ratings, but it is ultimately an individual choice that each parent/family must make. But as these issues become more and more mainstream, hopefully there will be a more open discussion about what is important, rather than a heated debate along ideological lines.

Trust your instincts as a parent. If a show, movie, or game makes you uncomfortable, there is probably a good reason. As long as you take the time to consider it carefully, trust your gut reaction.