ictims. Many children learn that violence is fun to watch, even in real life. These kids encourage their friends to fight. When television characters use violence to solve their problems, then some children believe that it is okay then to use violence to solve problems that they might be having. As parents we want our children to solve their problems without fighting (Sege 33-35). Violence is a diverse problem and it is necessary to address it as such. There is no doubt that excessive and extended exposure to television violence may promote violence in some children. Television promotes violence because it hits children in a suggestible period of their life, when they lack the capacity to reflect and discriminate and to integrate what they see in the proper perspective and with objectivity (Felson 96). Professionals and parents must be aware of all sources of impute for their children. Not only peers, textbooks, teachers, and relatives, but also from the subtle “stranger” in the living room, the television. Television “talks” to our children daily with complex messages of fear and violence and only occasionally with messages of sharing, friendship, and concern for others (Johnson 18). Parents need to limit the amount and type of television that their children are watching. If children are allowed to watch violence on television, then most children will believe that violence out on the playground is acceptable behavior. Most children who spend a considerable amount of their time viewing television are irresponsible, need constant supervision, and lack social skills. These children replace their daily activities with other children with viewing television. Television usually reduces their attention span, portrays a reality far from real life, and corrupts their young minds (Johnson 18). Young people must learn at home and in school that violence is not a means of settling differences with o...
