497938 2013
ISP59810.1177/0020764013497938International Journal of Social PsychiatryLetter to the Editor
E CAMDEN SCHIZOPH
Letter to the editor
Electronic media: What are we teaching our children?
International Journal of Social Psychiatry 59(8) 831 © The Author(s) 2013 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/0020764013497938 isp.sagepub.com
Ahsan Farid, Muhammad Osama Anwer and Mustafa Abbas As the media industry has progressed in the 21st century, it has had a dynamic impact on our daily lives. Television, in particular, has altered our lives immensely. However, it is essential to highlight that along with its innumerable advantages, it has brought a very important yet obscure problem – the promotion of violence. The amount of violence shown on television is on the rise (Paquette, 2003). A number of content analyses conducted over the years indicate that the depiction of physical violence is widespread in mass media, for example in feature films, comics, animation series, television news, popular music and computer games. Compared to statistics about real-life incidents, violence is by far overrepresented in various media products (Federman, 1998). The violence we witness today in our own country, or for that matter anywhere in the world, is perhaps to some extent a product of the violence that has gradually been impregnated in each one of us through the media. The American Association of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that children older than two years should be allowed to watch no more than two hours of television per day, while those younger than two should be restricted from watching it all together. Despite this, a considerable number of children start watching television from a younger age and in greater amounts (Certain & Kahn, 2002). New researchers continue to debate upon the notion that simulating violence in video games may be contributing more to children’s aggression than simply watching violence on their television sets. However, over 100 studies conducted on media violence conclude that significant exposure to
violence on television encourages aggressive behaviour in certain children. As a result, children might become immune to the horror of violence, accept violence as a way of solving problems or even imitate the violent acts that they witness on television (AACAP, 2011). Parents can play a vital part in curbing any violence in their child’s developing brain. It is suggested that parents should explore the contents of television programmes together with their children and help them learn to differentiate between reality and fantasy. The television set should be placed in a central living room where parents can keep a vigilant eye on what they watch. Moreover, television viewing should be kept at a minimum and parents must encourage their children more towards healthy sports and interaction with peers so as to utilize their leisure time in a more pragmatic way. References AACAP (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry). (2011). Children and TV violence. No. 13. Facts for families. Retrieved from: http://www.aacap.org/AACAP/ Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/Facts_for_Families_Pages/Children_And_TV_Violence_13.aspx. Certain, L. K., & Kahn, R. S. (2002). Prevalence, correlates and trajectory of television viewing among infants and toddlers. Pediatrics, 109, 634–642. Federman, J. (1998). National television violence study III. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE. Paquette, G. (2003). La violence sur les réseaux canadiens de télévision. Paediatrics and Child Health, 8, 293–295.
Students of Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan Corresponding author: Muhammad Osama Anwer, Students of Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, B-77 Block 13-D gulshan e iqbal karachi, 75300 Pakistan. Email: [email protected]
Downloaded from isp.sagepub.com at UNIV OF GEORGIA LIBRARIES on June 13, 2015
ISP59810.1177/0020764013497938International Journal of Social PsychiatryLetter to the Editor
E CAMDEN SCHIZOPH
Letter to the editor
Electronic media: What are we teaching our children?
International Journal of Social Psychiatry 59(8) 831 © The Author(s) 2013 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/0020764013497938 isp.sagepub.com
Ahsan Farid, Muhammad Osama Anwer and Mustafa Abbas As the media industry has progressed in the 21st century, it has had a dynamic impact on our daily lives. Television, in particular, has altered our lives immensely. However, it is essential to highlight that along with its innumerable advantages, it has brought a very important yet obscure problem – the promotion of violence. The amount of violence shown on television is on the rise (Paquette, 2003). A number of content analyses conducted over the years indicate that the depiction of physical violence is widespread in mass media, for example in feature films, comics, animation series, television news, popular music and computer games. Compared to statistics about real-life incidents, violence is by far overrepresented in various media products (Federman, 1998). The violence we witness today in our own country, or for that matter anywhere in the world, is perhaps to some extent a product of the violence that has gradually been impregnated in each one of us through the media. The American Association of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that children older than two years should be allowed to watch no more than two hours of television per day, while those younger than two should be restricted from watching it all together. Despite this, a considerable number of children start watching television from a younger age and in greater amounts (Certain & Kahn, 2002). New researchers continue to debate upon the notion that simulating violence in video games may be contributing more to children’s aggression than simply watching violence on their television sets. However, over 100 studies conducted on media violence conclude that significant exposure to
violence on television encourages aggressive behaviour in certain children. As a result, children might become immune to the horror of violence, accept violence as a way of solving problems or even imitate the violent acts that they witness on television (AACAP, 2011). Parents can play a vital part in curbing any violence in their child’s developing brain. It is suggested that parents should explore the contents of television programmes together with their children and help them learn to differentiate between reality and fantasy. The television set should be placed in a central living room where parents can keep a vigilant eye on what they watch. Moreover, television viewing should be kept at a minimum and parents must encourage their children more towards healthy sports and interaction with peers so as to utilize their leisure time in a more pragmatic way. References AACAP (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry). (2011). Children and TV violence. No. 13. Facts for families. Retrieved from: http://www.aacap.org/AACAP/ Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/Facts_for_Families_Pages/Children_And_TV_Violence_13.aspx. Certain, L. K., & Kahn, R. S. (2002). Prevalence, correlates and trajectory of television viewing among infants and toddlers. Pediatrics, 109, 634–642. Federman, J. (1998). National television violence study III. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE. Paquette, G. (2003). La violence sur les réseaux canadiens de télévision. Paediatrics and Child Health, 8, 293–295.
Students of Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan Corresponding author: Muhammad Osama Anwer, Students of Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, B-77 Block 13-D gulshan e iqbal karachi, 75300 Pakistan. Email: [email protected]
Downloaded from isp.sagepub.com at UNIV OF GEORGIA LIBRARIES on June 13, 2015
