NCJ Number
170987
Date Published
1996
Length
16 pages
Annotation
Violent and other antisocial behaviors involving children and adolescents are being blamed on the media, and major effects of violence, antisocial behavior, and aggression in the media can be categorized as displacement of healthy activities, modeling of inappropriate behavior, disinhibition, desensitization, aggressive arousal, and risk taking behavior.
Abstract
Factors influencing violent and antisocial behaviors in schools include how aggression is depicted and how aggression is rewarded. Violent and aggressive behaviors are learned, and young children are particularly vulnerable. While media violence is not the only cause of these behaviors in schools, it is a significant factor. More educational programming and activities are needed since television, videos, books, and other media can provide young children highly interactive experiences, especially when parents participate. In particular, parents who read to their children promote literacy. Prosocial applications of the media include nonviolent video games, as well as educational television and programs and movies with positive social contexts. Negative effects of television on children can be prevented in several ways: limit television viewing, control what programs children watch, discuss objectionable scenes with children, avoid using television as an electronic babysitter, and ensure physicians take a detailed television viewing history of every child. Efforts to reduce the potential negative impact of the media on children should stress policy changes to reduce the number of scenes with gratuitous violence and to minimize the influence of misleading advertising on children. The role of media violence in antisocial behavior is examined in terms of firearms, suicide, tobacco, alcohol, and sexuality. Resources available to parents and teachers regarding educational media for children are listed in an appendix. 89 notes