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2001
Blocking the Punch from TV Violence
Research shows that children are less vulnerable to TV violence when they see actions coupled with consequences.
Violence-free zones on TV are few, says Barbara Wilson, 43, a professor of speech communication. During the three to four hours of television children typically watch each day, those as young as two are learning that violence is an acceptable way to solve problems.
When Barbara Wilson was growing up, the most violent shows she remembers on TV were Gunsmoke and the Three Stooges. Today, if she didn't closely monitor the remote at home, her children could be watching slasher movies and killer cop shows.
Violence in the media is pervasive, says Wilson, a professor of speech communication in LAS who has testified about the impact of TV violence on children. Over three decades of scientific research document that on-screen violence can contribute to aggressive behavior among children. "We're seeing imitative aggression in children after watching a single violent program," says Wilson. "And among children at risk, we know that repeated exposure to TV violence during childhood is a small but significant predictor of criminal behavior as an adult."
Efforts to combat TV violence are nearly as old as the medium itself, but opponents consistently run up against the First Amendment and a powerful entertainment industry that argues that their violent plots are merely a response to public demand. Wilson believes there is room for compromise. Research she began as a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and continued since coming to Illinois last fall indicates that violence can be portrayed in ways that pose less risk to children...without ruining the story line. She also offers schools and parents promising ideas for countering the violent messages that do get through.
From 1996 to 1998, she took part in a major analysis of TV content, published as the National Television Violence Study, that identified several types of violence that encourage aggression in children. The researchers analyzed over 2,500 hours of both broadcast and cable television programming each year. They discovered that 60 percent of programs on television contain some violence. But more important than the sheer amount of violence was the way in which it was portrayed. Much of the violence on TV is portrayed as justified; a legitimate solution to problems. Even depicting aggression as humorous, which occurs in 40 percent of violent scenes, is risky because it desensitizes children to the seriousness of such behavior.
Among the most damaging portrayals of violence are those that are not tied to consequences. Unlike Gunsmoke, where the bad guys got it in the end, today's aggressors are often heroes who walk away unscathed and unremorseful. Consider Terminator 2 or even the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, who, to young children, can seem real. "In both you have highly glamorized heroes who convince everyone that the only way to solve problems is to engage in violence; the violence seems highly justified, and it typically doesn't result in any serious consequences to the victims," says Wilson. "That's the worst message you can send to a child if you don't want them to learn aggression." The best depictions of violence, on the other hand, are like those in Schindler's List, where harming others is shown to have tragic consequences.
Every action movie cannot be rewritten into a moral drama, but modest changes to plots can reduce the likelihood that children will learn and imitate aggression. "We're not asking Hollywood to get rid of Terminator 2," says Wilson, "but occasionally they could have the perpetrators show some regret."
To counter the potentially harmful violent messages that still reach children, Wilson helped develop an intervention program. Targeted at middle school-aged children, the three-week curriculum attempts to reduce aggressive behavior by reattaching consequences to violence. Students watch episodes of real-life trials from CourtTV that feature teenagers who are either the perpetrators or victims of violence. After reviewing the cases, the students role play and answer a series of questions that encourage better decision making and empathy with victims.
When the program was tested with 500 students, those who participated showed significant declines in physical and verbal aggression. "Students weren't as likely to tease, swear, or argue with others after the three-week intervention," says Wilson.
Parents can apply these lessons at home by watching TV with their children and mediating the messages, says Wilson. But if their children still seem to be identifying with violent characters, they may have to take control of the remote.
By Holly Korab
Photo by Joel Dexter
Winter 2001