Children and Violence on TV.

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Children and Violence on TV – Helen Stanford

In the past twenty years, violence on TV has become more common and more acceptable in society.  This generation is growing up in an increasingly cruel world – where children are exposed to violence, murders and bullying on TV.  Guidelines have been put in place – but are they really enough?  In this essay I shall be discussing the positive and negative effects of violence on TV and ask if legislation is the way forward for TV.

Violence is shown in all types of children’s programmes, from cartoons like “Tom and Jerry”, to children’s dramas such as “Byker Grove”.  Violence can take place in different forms – bullying and mugging are just some of them.  Today it is becoming a way of life.

Violence on TV can have quite a deep impact on children, depending on the context in which it is shown.  For example, children old enough to understand that violence in cartoons is not real may not be influenced by them – unlike very young children who may imitate the violent events shown in the programme.  More realistic programmes such as “Eastenders” may be more influential to a child because the programme contains characters that represent real people.

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Soaps are often used as a vehicle to portray difficult situations with a clear message for viewers to learn from, e.g. Janine Butcher in “Eastenders” and her drug taking and prostitution.  Her friends started leaving her and her appearance went downhill.  This was designed to send a clear message to viewers who were contemplating this behaviour that it would only lead to a downward spiral.

Soaps also include real life situations which the child may be familiar with, such as domestic rows.  Sometimes these scenes can be very upsetting, because their world revolves around their home and those close to ...

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