The concept of media violence and sex, especially among children and adolescents, has been under substantial investigation since the evolution of social media. Every time a child or teenager has committed a violent or sexual offense, especially in recent years, the debate about the effect of media such as television, as well as videogames, is initiated. Researchers have also attempted to identify the correlation between media such as videogames and the possibility of children and adolescents becoming aggressive or even committing crimes. Furthermore, the researchers have also attempted to identify if there are specific traits among children that make them particularly vulnerable to the violent effects of the media. Therefore, this paper reviews the effectiveness of the mitigations put in place to reduce media violence and sex by identifying the correlations between media, violence, and sex, as well as identifying the recommended mitigations put in place.
Correlation between Media and Violence
In the past, nearly all cases of child or teen violence or criminal offenses have been linked to the media channel, especially video games. For instance, the tragic incident of Adam Lanza who shot and killed twenty schoolchildren and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School before committing suicide in Newtown, Connecticut in 2012, was identified as a copycat crime that was inspired by a similar crime in the past or by the information available in the media. Furthermore, the teen was identified by some news media to have played the videogame Combat Arms, which is a first-person-shooter game to practice "head-shots" (Valkenburg & Piotrowski, 2017).
Recent copycat crimes such as the offense committed by Lanza can be speculated to have been inspired by violent movies as well as videogames. The nature of horrific incidents suggests that there is a clear connection between media violence and the extreme violent behavior among adolescent or teenage perpetrators. Valkenburg & Piotrowski (2017) noted that the majority of young criminal offenders have either watched violent horror films or played violent videogames. Despite this connection, the question of whether the media caused the teenagers to commit crimes plays an essential part in identifying the correlation between media and violence.
For an accurate correlation between the use of media and crime among teenagers, the adolescent's exposure to violent media must precede his or her criminal offense. Additionally, if the correlation is to be appropriate, there should be an exclusion for all other possible explanations that could be used for violent behavior. For instance, Lanza had played a violent videogame before his violent crime. Since there are no other explanations to exclude his violent behavior, then media is identified as the cause or the influencing factor that contributed to his violent behavior.
In other contexts of adolescent criminal behaviors, underlying issues that were unrecognized by adults such as anxiety, neglect, among other distressing situations, can be identified as reasons for violent crimes. For example, in the case of the boys who murdered James Bulger were identified as problematic children who had been severely neglected, and any attention from their father was in the form of violence (Valkenburg & Piotrowski, 2017). Therefore, personal circumstances such as unresolved or unaddressed mental conditions are applicable when explaining the reasons behind a child or teenager's violent acts. Criminal behavior among teenagers can be as a result of a complex mixture of factors such as exposure to violence in early childhood, neglect as well as genetic predisposition. However, it is plausible that media violence may play an essential aspect in inspiring the offenders to commit violent offenses as it is impossible to exclude all alternative explanations for any crime perpetrated by a minor.
Valkenburg & Piotrowski (2017) explained that even though the is no clear correlation between media and violence, a cumulative indicator of the relationship between the media and violence would be the number as well as the effect of media violence on the youth. Even though the number of youths that are influenced by media violence is relatively small in the United States, the number could mean millions of children worldwide. Therefore, it is essential to identify information that would be essential in the attempt to combat real-world violent tragedies among the youth. Furthermore, it is also essential to identify any environmental, developmental, and dispositional factors that contribute to the increase or reduction of teenagers and adolescents' vulnerability to media violence.
Correlation between Media and Sex
The media has been responsible for the advertisement and illustration of inappropriate sexual content to minors. Scholars have often identified that sexual media content that has a negative impact on the youth's sexuality is readily available in videogames and television. The extent to which this harmful exposure affects teenagers is mostly related to their sexuality. Since teenagers and adolescents rank the media second only to school sex education program as a leading source of information about sex, the sexual content in the media provides unrealistic as well as an inaccurate picture of sexuality (Cantor & Wilson, 2003). Since the youth are not mature enough to put this information into perspective, they develop false assumptions, beliefs, and expectations that affect their sexuality during adulthood.
Teenagers may turn to the media to identify ideas in regards to their sexuality that are not available among their peers. These ideas, regardless of whether they are right or wrong, will influence and strengthen the existing ideas among the peer groups. Therefore, there are increased chances that distorted content will affect the peer group. The youths are viewed as too vulnerable due to their inability to recognize and reject the distorted sexual content depicted by the media channels.
Valkenburg & Piotrowski (2017) indicated that some researchers believe that sexual content can have a positive influence on the sexuality of younger people. For instance, the media content can be used to educate teenagers on sexual issues such as pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. The conflicting assumptions make it complicated to study sexual messages portrayed by the media as researchers cannot confront teenagers with or question them about issues such as pornography or sexuality. However, the researchers all agree that the majority of the youths who are consumers of sexual media are active in terms of their processing of sexual media content. Furthermore, their application of this content is reliant on dispositional factors such as sexual identity and maturity as well as social factors such as friends and family.
According to Earles et al. (2002), the information connecting sex in the media with the attitudes and behaviors of teenagers is less extensive as compared to the information in regards to media and violence since very few studies examine the statistical correlations and therefore, causality cannot be inferred. Furthermore, they indicate that if the children can learn aggression and violence from the media, it is expected that exposure to sexual content will heighten the children's sexual behavior as well.
Impact of Media Sexual Violence on Children and Teens
The portrayal of violence and sex by the media is an essential contributor to children's behavior due to the fact that children learn by assimilating and imitating. Furthermore, Earles et al. (2002) explain that there is a secure connection between the perceptions of media messages and observed behavior that is uniquely identified with children. Since social learning theory indicates that children learn by watching assimilating and imitating, they may learn negative messages from the media in regards to violence, sexuality, sexual gratification, gender roles as well as conflict resolution. Furthermore, the quality and quantity of exposure of adolescents and teenagers to violent sexual media will shape their attitudes pertaining to violence, sexual behavior such that they have a higher likelihood of becoming more aggressive and even committing criminal offenses.
Media violence, whether through television films or videogames, significantly contribute to violent and aggressive attitude such that children may imitate aggressive actions as a form of conflict resolution. For instance, a child who is used to viewing wrestling films may imitate and replicate the movements he had seen on television when playing with his friends. This may end in injuries incurred by the friends. Moreover, the way sex and violence are usually portrayed in the media results in the social learning of unhealthy and unrealistic attitudes towards aggression. As a result, the youth become desensitized to sexually violent situations such that they become less degree of emotional disturbance to violent and sexual images. Exposure to sexually violent media also increases teenagers' feelings of hostility, which often precedes aggression or violence in interpersonal situations.
Recommended Mitigations
Parents should be able to monitor their children's consumption of all media closely. This will help them to limit what their children are exposed to as well as to detect signs of aggression early. Since media devices such as television and videogames are among the main contributors to the rising numbers of sexual and violent activities among teenagers, limiting their exposure to such content will help in reducing or combating these issues. Adult-rated games should not be exposed to minors through close monitoring by parents. Television content consumption should be limited using parental guidance controls as well as restriction of viewer's rating as a precaution. Additionally, mass media should be used as a tool to enhance acceptably and discourage unacceptable types of behavior. In addition to the above, other forms of entertainment which can be practiced include reading, outdoor play, and traveling. These encourage the interaction and growth of useful ideas.
Conversations between caregivers, parents, doctors, and good friends can help children nurture good qualities and behavior that can help them in evaluating alternative options, beneficial to their decision-making and conflict-resolution. The family who includes caregiver have a unique role in building children's awareness of the environment. They convey specific values that can reduce perceived reality on television by advising children against what is being demonstrated on television or in the games they play. Positive criticism from family and especially caregivers will help reduce the imitation and assimilation of aggressive or violent behaviors. Therefore, caregivers should ensure that they make criticism whenever they are co-viewing controversial content as silence is often associated with acceptance or approval of the behaviors that are portrayed by the media.
Media literacy can be used as a tool to promote and empower young people and make them less vulnerable to harmful content. This can be done quickly through screening, assessing, and examining the content at the children's disposal before recommending the content to the public (Brown, 2001). The use of media supported tools through incorporating these skills in school programs can result in young people being more informed in their decision-making ability. Furthermore, violent media content can be used positively to show the consequences of violence or aggressive methods of solving issues. On the other hand, parents should...
