'Violence on television is a primary cause of violence in real life'.

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GCSE Coursework – non fiction

‘Violence on television is a primary cause of violence in real life’

 

  Discuss whether you agree or disagree with this statement

Teenagers my age are constantly being bombarded with so called ‘parental warnings’ and film ‘certificates’ which intend to provide us with guidance on what we should and should not be watching, if it be on the ‘box’ or at the cinema. Politicians and social campaigners try to convince us TV is bad for us, a device which “corrodes the moral fabric of society and corrupts our children with relentless images of violence”. Is this a fair and accurate statement? Or merely an unfair and harsh account of what TV provides us with. My answer is NO, there is a lack of research, which indicates that TV violence encourages anti social behaviour

I myself, spend most of my day glued to the ‘box’ as well as 52% of children aged 5-17 who have a TV in their room. I believe the content on TV does not contain as much violent content as it is hyped up to have. TV broadcasters usual kick off with a small dose of light daytime entertainment, comprising mainly of DIY and gardening make over shows, (Big strong boys and garden invaders) followed by quiz game shows (Wipe-out and Bargain hunt) till the early evening. This hardly sounds like the types of program which “Corrode the moral fabric of society”. Programs, which are broadcasted on terrestrial TV, have to comply with strict regulations before they can be showed to the public; this is the job of the independent television commission (ITC). The ITC have strong views on programs of a violent or sexual nature and have the power to control when certain programs are shown. Programs that can be considered violent containing scenes of gore/sexual nature are shown later in the night and may also be issued with a warning to the parent informing them of content. This is where I believe the role of the parent should be more prominent. I believe that content on TV cannot just cater for children and teenagers but for adults as well which is why such programs are shown later at night. I believe it is the parent’s responsibility to be able to control what their children watch and politicians should be less forceful in blaming TV on a whole.

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Though I believe I have clearly shown television does not constantly corrupt the airwaves with relentless images of violence, can certain programmes cause us to become violent? I can again confidently say that the answer is NO.

A unique study carried out around 1995 suggests that programmes do not affect our behaviour. The study was published in the Observer on Sunday 29th of October 2000 and therefore implies it is a reliable source of information.

1995 was the year that television would finally arrive on one of the most remote habited islands, ‘St Helena’ in the South Atlantic Ocean. Though ...

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