Television And Teenage Violence

Today we are living in a world dominated by the media.The mass media especially television is increasingly occupying the central stage in our lives.With provision for 24 hour telecast and many channels exposure to television is increasing and is particularly high among children.Many concerned individuals and organizations have raised their voice against the adverse effects of television viewing particularly due to the excessive portrayal of sex and violence,the common and dominant feature of television programming.There is an increasing evidence of association between screen violence and actual aggressive behaviour emerging from a very large number of studies in developed countries.People who watch more of televised violence have been found to exhibit greater tendencies towards agressive behaviour in both short and long term.

Research shows that the primary effect of television viewing is by way of imitation or emulation of the action or scene depicted on the screen.It is a common observation that children enact the advertisments and emulate some of the popular characters.In some of the sensational murders by teenagers ,investigation pointed to the youngsters having been prompted by a film or television programme so much so that the manner and method of killing closely resembled the scene depiction.

An effective way of addressing this problem is to guide the children in their selection of television programmes.Researches have revealed that if parents share television watching with their children and discuss the contents they can guide in a subtle way the choice of programmes the children watch and influence the impact of television in the desired direction.Thus to make the best use of television and minimise its negative influence one should take active part in their interests and discussions relating to television programmes.There is also a need for self-regulation on the part of the television channels.Programme producers should exercise restraint and examine the television content from the perspective of growing children and the likely adverse effects of certain programmes.It is true that sex and violence sell across all cultures and societies and a heavy dose of violence in any television programme means a more lucrative business.Considerations of larger social good and future of the new generation should also weigh equally in programming decisions.

A well thought out media education programme in the school curriculum can help in putting the contents of television in proper perspective by demystifying the glamour and action.Children could be made to distinguish between make believe world and real world.Demystification and proper understanding of the television content will go a long way in minimising the adverse effects of television and enhancing its positive contribution to all round development of young people.