Violence in movies, television, and music is deeply affecting the minds of teenagers. There is strong evidence to support the fact that exposure to violence in the media results in increased incidence of teen violence

        Teenagers may have fantasies of attempting the violent -yet “cool”- things that they observe in movies. In a 1995 movie, ‘Basketball Diaries’, Leonardo DiCaprio was a student who was dreaming of going on a shooting rampage in school. Michael Carneal, a student at Paducah High School, saw this movie and did the exact same thing in real life. When interviewed by reporters, he said, “It was like I was in a dream, and I woke up..."(Joo-Lee). Michael Carneal probably thought it would be a great experience if he went on this shooting rampage. However, it is very likely that other factors also played a significant role. Teenagers develop violent behavioral patterns from their family and peers. They also observe it in their neighborhoods and communities. One of my friends from public school, told me he learned to fight from some of his older friends, who were members of a street gang. These examples clearly show how media is responsible for teen violence.

        Next, many teenagers usually listen to music every day. “On average, they spend between 4 – 5 hours listening to music or watching music videos.”  Heavy metal and rap music emphasize violence and unfortunately, these are some of the popular types of music. An enormous amount of teenagers listen to rap music (primarily known as “Gangsta Rap”) which involves a lot of lyrics about shooting, killing, fighting, etc. “Studies have shown that when students listen to a lot of rap music, they are more accepting of violence. 66% of 13- to 17-year-olds believe violence in music is partly responsible for violent crimes.” This shows that some types of music will penetrate a teenager’s mind causing him/her to become more violent. Some popular rap singers have been charged with violent crimes in real life. This should send a strong message to all teenagers that listen to violent music. This is another example of how media contributes to teen violence.        

Finally, most teenagers spend more time sitting in front of the television than spending time with their family. There are many violent shows on television. If a teenager has a role model committing violent actions on TV, he/she may accept this as normal behaviour. “Nearly 75 percent of violent scenes on television feature no immediate punishment for or condemnation of violence. Also, 40 percent of programs feature "bad" characters that are never or rarely punished for their aggressive actions.” I find this to be quite true, after watching TV for over 10 years. After viewing a violent TV show, teenagers might be fooled into thinking that they could easily get away with a crime. This would seem unrealistic to some. However, combined with economical and psychological issues, this is quite possible. Many teenagers are in families that are struggling economically. If some of them have seen a drug dealer making thousands of dollars on television and getting away with it, the idea of becoming a drug dealer would instantly appear in their minds. This is yet another example of how media has a huge impact on teen violence.

Violence in movies, television, and music is deeply affecting the minds of teenagers. There is strong evidence to support the fact that exposure to violence in the media results in increased incidence of teen violence. Personal experiences from various teenagers who have committed crimes tend to confirm that these factors did play a major part. Organizations which are dealing with these issues have accepted the fact that violence in movies, television, and music is ultimately responsible for teen violence and are now working with the media to control this.