OPINION: Monitor Content Youths Have Access To

By Broadside Correspondent Lucas Nottingham

Children are highly influenced by violence in media such as movies and lyrics in music, but there are other sources of influence that haven’t been focused on. Video games, TV shows and even our own actions are highly influential in the lives of children. Children usually do what they see, not what they are told. Because of this, we all have a responsibility on some level to monitor the content that our youths have access to, including our own behaviors.

Video games are considered relatively safe for children, but according to research released in Pediatrics, published by the American Academy of Pediatrics, we may want to be a little more selective about which games are safe. According to Donna St. George of The Washington Post, this research documented evidence that children who played violent video games “showed an increased likelihood of getting into a fight at school or being identified by a teacher or peer as being physically aggressive five to six months later.” In other words, children who play violent video games a lot eventually become more physically aggressive than those who do not.

This research was done in the United States and Japan, whose culture which contains many gamers, but is less violent, and the results were essentially the same. St. George quotes Craig A. Anderson, lead author of the study done in America, “We now have conclusive evidence that playing violent video games has harmful effects on children and adolescents.”

The information revealed in this study is a game-changer—St. George reports that the American Academy of Pediatrics “now recognizes violence in media as a significant health risk to children and adolescents and recommends limiting screen time including television, computers and video games to one to two hours a day.” There can be no question now that playing violent video games leads to violent behavior in children; parents and caregivers should be vigilant about selecting which types of games their children have access to. This information, combined with the fact that lyrics in music and violence on TV influences youth behavior, means that mostly anything that children see is likely to be copied by them or at least spark their curiosity.

But violence in TV shows isn’t the only concern now; we should also be alarmed by the numerous new shows which have excessive sexual content. Rob Stein of The Washington Post, reports that in another study, also released by the American Academy of Pediatrics, teens who often viewed programming with sexual content were “twice as likely to be involved in a pregnancy.” Apparently, the instances of teen pregnancy have been “inching up again.” Stein reports that lead researcher Anita Chandra, admitted that other factors might play a role in teen pregnancy, but that “the study provides the first direct evidence that (TV viewing) could be playing a significant role.” This is even more evidence that children are likely to do what they see instead of what they are told.

Media of all types have a significant influence on young people. These recent studies cement the argument that if we want to help prevent teen pregnancies and violent crimes in the future, we should be taking the first step by teaching our children properly. Anyone who has a child in his or her life or interacts with children should keep the impressionability of these youths in mind when speaking or acting.

You may not see yourself as a role model, but it is likely that if you interact with children regularly, you are educating them to some extent. We also need to continue to monitor the content they have access to, including musical lyrics, TV shows, movies and video games. The next time we do anything we know to be improper, let’s consider the idea that young, inexperienced eyes may be watching us, perhaps to copy.