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Youth violence puts the spotlight on mass media
March 26, 1998
Web posted at: 10:06 p.m. EST (0306 GMT)In this story:
- Children bombarded by violent images
- 200,000 violent acts
- A bloody cocktail
- Related stories and sites
LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- President Clinton and many other Americans have raised questions this week about whether youth violence like the school shooting in Arkansas this week is influenced by mass media.
They note that virtually from the cradle, children in the United States are bombarded by violence on TV, in movies and in song lyrics.
And the question they ask is whether such images make it difficult for our children to distinguish between fact and fiction.
"What we see happening," says Dr. Stephen Garber, a child psychologist, "is that there is so much...realistic-type violence portrayed in movies and in other situations that does affect certain kinds of kids who can't tell the difference between reality and fantasy. They think that if you shoot somebody, they get up...."
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Others, like actor Bruce Willis, say that films like his "Die Hard" series are a reflection of life.
"If the world was a nice little garden with little cottages around and we were killing bunny rabbits on screen," Willis says, "you would raise your hand and say 'This is a mistake.'"
The question is whether violent films such as "Natural Born Killers" or violent TV shows such as "Brooklyn South" in some way cause children to commit acts of violence.
200,000 violent acts
For the most part no, says "Brooklyn South" executive producer William Finkelstein.
"Millions and millions of people watch movies and television shows." he says. "And out of that number, a very, very small number take actions such as what we saw in Arkansas."
Yet, the feeling persists that in some way all of the violent images have a negative impact. Studies have shown that by age 18, the average person in the United States will view roughly 200,000 violent acts on TV alone.
"South Park," a popular cartoon aimed at adults, but watched by many children, has a character who meets a violent end each week only to be resurrected the next.
"They shouldn't be broadcasting to third- and fourth-graders, saying words you wouldn't want mentioned around the dinner table," says Mark Honig of the Parents' Television Council. "And they shouldn't show one of these kids getting violently killed each episode and laughing about it. It's most irresponsible."
Last December, a 14-year-old boy in Paducah, Kentucky, killed three teenagers and wounded five others in a shooting spree inspired by a dream sequence in the film "Basketball Diaries."
A bloody cocktail
"Common sense just tells you that there's obviously an influence," says Honig. "Television is the most powerful medium in the world. Movies, the entertainment industry, the music industry, they're very powerful.
"If these kids were not influenced by it, why would advertisers spend so much money on their thirty second or one minute ad to influence behavior?"
Popular groups such as Pearl Jam, Aerosmith and Marilyn Manson produce music videos echoing real-life violence. And video games like Mortal Kombat add even more images to the bloody cocktail that is as much a part of a youngster's childhood as a trip to grandma's.
According to one study, Japan has almost as much entertainment violence as the United States, yet Japanese society is much less violent. The key may be that Japanese films and TV programs tend to show the consequences of violent acts where American films and TV do not.
"What else can we expect from kids who are exposed to murders on TV and murders," said Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. "We've desensitized human life through our callousness and disrespect for one another."
Correspondents Charles Feldman and Paul Vercammen contributed to this report.
Related stories:
- FCC clears way for TV v-chips - March 12, 1998
- TV ratings system expanded - July 10, 1997
- 'Not guilty' plea for teen in Kentucky school killings - January 15, 1998
Related sites:
Note: Pages will open in a new browser window
- National Coalition on Television Violence
- The TV Parental Guidelines Website
- American Medical Association
- Center for Media Education - a national non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of the electronic media
- Federal Communications Commission (FCC) - government agency charged with regulating interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable
- Media Research Center
- Federal Action Alert: Make Sure Television Ratings Work for American Families- from Children Now, a nonpartisan, independent voice for children; recognized nationally for its policy expertise and up-to-date information
- Violence and Television - special report from KQED
- Mediascope National Television Violence Study - initial report of an ongoing three-year research project examining violence on U.S television.
- Taking Charge of Your TV - a guide to, "help families make better choices in the TV programs they watch and to improve the way they watch those programs"
- American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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