There has been a great deal of dispute about the possible connection between violent behavior in young people and their exposure to violent movies, video games, TV programming and music.
Though a direct link between the two has not been convincingly proven, there's a increasing agreement that exposure to violent entertainment is one of the variables to be considered, along with others, including family stability, learning disabilities and personality when examining the behavior of children and teens.
Kids are drawn to movies with scary themes, and watching "horror" films is a rite of passage for teens and even younger kids. Although being steadily exposed to violent images from an early age can have a lasting effect on young children. Studies have shown that 26 percent of adults still have "remaining anxiety" many years after viewing horror movies in childhood.
Because most homes today have VCRs, kids have easy access to movies with graphic violence. Most parents don't understand the ratings systems for films, and even when they do, kids can easily sneak into restricted films at the movies. (The design of most cinemas makes it easy for kids to see the film of their choice once they've paid at the box office).
No comments:
Post a Comment