Counter The Effects Of Media Violence On Children
Despite the fact that their own ratings systems found the
material appropriate only for adults, the motion picture, music,
and video game industries practice "pervasive and aggressive
marketing" of violent movies, music, and electronic games to
children. - Federal Trade Commission finding regarding child
entertainment
The values depicted on TV and movie screens are a far cry from
the values you want your children exposed to in their formative
years. For example, the average American child will have watched
100,000 acts of televised violence, including 8,000 depictions
of murder, by the time he or she finishes the sixth grade. In a
typical American home, the TV set is on for over seven hours
each day, and the average child spends more time watching that
TV than they do in school, or doing any other activity besides
sleeping. And, while your children are glued to the tube
watching so-called child entertainment, they will see between
1,000 and 2,000 television ads promoting alcohol every year.
It's difficult to control parental outrage in the midst of that
kind of media influence. How do you teach your child the
concepts and character traits that translate into better
learning habits at school, better behavior at home, and better
citizenship in the world? How do you define loyalty to a
five-year-old? How to you teach a four-year-old about bravery
and respect? And how do you explain love?
These aren't simple words that can be taught to your child by
rote. They're complex concepts that your child needs to know,
understand, and adopt at an early age if they're to succeed in
life.
The key to teaching children sophisticated character traits -
such as courage, loyalty, justice, respect, hope, honesty and
love - is character-based education. The heart of
character-based education is guiding your children toward TV
shows, kid movie, and books that reflect positive values. While
you may not be able to give your child the words that explain
diversity, you can exert and control parental influence by
giving him or her any Winnie the Pooh book, which demonstrates
that theme in ways a child can easily understand. Pooh Bear also
interprets the concept of family and the value of friendship.
Thomas the Tank Engine teaches lessons about cooperation,
sharing, and the value of hard work. Your child may not realize
that they're being taught a lesson while reading about or
watching Thomas and his friends, but by the end of the book or
TV show, they will have learned a complex concept - and been
entertained in the process.
For older readers, The Wizard of Oz follows a similar theme.
When the Scarecrow complains of his lack of a brain, the
Cowardly Lion discusses his lack of bravery, or the Tin Man
wishes he had a heart, your child learns what intelligence,
bravery, and love are, and why they're so important. Dorothy
tirelessly tries to find her way home, and in doing so surrounds
herself with new friends who work together to overcome their
weaknesses and harness their strengths. Even though your child
is engrossed in the story, the concepts of family, courage,
cooperation, home, and love are made clear.
When you look at the values presented in the media, it becomes
clear that positive character traits are poorly defined for
children. What one child learns about bravery and loyalty from
watching two bank robbers in a kid movie is much different than
what another child learns about bravery and loyalty through
reading about or watching Winnie the Pooh helping a friend out
of a jam.
As parents, combating the negative influence of media by
filtering the content to which our children are exposed - such
as looking at a movie rental review - may not be enough. Even if
our children are an exception to the national average - over six
hours of daily exposure to the media - it's safe to assume that
their peers have internalized negative media messages and will
influence our children. To counteract negative media and peer
influences, we must take charge of our children's character
education. That's not easy, given that our active lives and
hectic schedules leave little time for reviewing and selecting
appropriate reading and viewing material for our children.
Still, you should do what you can to guide your family toward
materials that reinforce values that you hold dear. Evaluate the
content of each children's book, television show, and movie
rental review for positive and negative examples of the
following ten traits: self-discipline, compassion,
responsibility, friendship, work, courage, perseverance,
honesty, loyalty, and faith. Also, look for negative behavioral
influences, such as violence, profanity, nudity, sexual content,
scary elements, and the use of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco.
Then, make your selections according to the messages that each
book, television show, or movie sends your children.