Whose Responsibility is it to Monitor Children's TV Viewing?

Being a community of people means there should be a concerted effort from everyone concerned to solve the problem.

The parents foremost, the school, the community itself and the government. Nothing succeeds unless all sectors cooperate in solving the problem. Take for example the problem of pirated movies.

Do we say, it's not our problem, it's the producers 'problem, they should be on guard and keep their copies under lock and key. We won't bother because we don't even earn from it. They alone are responsible in curbing piracy.

But of course, this is not the case, everyone has to step in and give his fair share to curb piracy. Even buyers should cooperate and buy the original CDs instead of the pirated ones.(Even if it means spending more.)

I once had monitored a certain group, and after the activity, someone lost her wallet. I had to gather them up and asked them to help in the search. One of them said, " It's her responsibility not to just let her purse lying around." Well, well, well, is this the kind of principle or values we want our children/youth to learn?

If honesty would have been taught, and the respect for other's property were the focus then, no matter where the purse was, it would always find its way back to the owner, because children would have learned that getting what is not your own is bad.

Saying that parents are responsible alone in controlling the TV viewing of their children is tantamount to saying, there are no other factors that affect the activity.

Government stepped in to warn people about smoking, alcohol, pre-martial sex, piracy etc, wouldn't it be logical and responsible for them to do something about TV violence in a supposedly for "general patronage "program? Isn't it their moral responsibility to see to it that children are protected?

We must remember that the future of the country and of the world are upon the children. Please read more of the articles in this blog and open your mind. Thanks for reading and for commenting. I appreciate it a lot.

God bless.

The Effect of Violence on Children.

By: Justin Swapp

If you want to prove something, you have to use the

scientific method, right? Observe something that you want

to measure, and then measure it.

Photo by: Keith Bacongco

There are many people who would water down the effect that violence in the media has

on our children.

If there is any doubt in your mind, just spend a little time applying the scientific method – observe them.

As we start this discussion, it's helpful to understand a little about child psychology.

During their earlier years, children are trying to understand their role in life by framing

it within what they observe in everyday life.

It stands to reason that if you feed your child a steady diet of bacon for every meal,

it's only a matter of time before the kid looks like a pig.

You are what you eat, as the saying goes.

If children have a steady diet of violence, it's only natural for them to experiment with

it as it relates to what they do every day.

If you think there is anything less than a buffet of violence out there for your children

to stuff their faces with, you are kidding yourself.

Here are some examples:

Internet, DVD, Blu-Ray, Wii, Playstation, Xbox, Gameboy, MMORPG, World of

Warcraft, Comics, iPods, Music, Online Chat, Magazines, Movies, School, Cell Phones,

and TV – Now in higher-than-ever definition.

That's right, all the violent detail you could ever want, accessible from anytime, or

anywhere.

Most recently my youngest son, Alexander, got a hold of the remote control and found

his way to the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers television show.

If you are not familiar with the Power Rangers, It's one of those

kids with martial-art-super-powers-and-costumes shows.

Alexander is two. At that young age, children copy what they see, and they test

boundaries. If you are a parent, you know this.

What do you think Alexander did? He got something he could use as a cape, and

hopped through the house, pausing occasionally to pose in a martial arts stance.

Then, he would find his nearest sibling, and practice a punch or a kick he had seen

on the TV show, complete with sound bites from the program.

He was acting out what he saw glorified on TV. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

seem to have the same effect on him.

TV and movies are arguably the most powerful mediums for communication that we

have today. The technology behind them now is extremely advanced, and made to

impact our senses to extreme degrees.

Trends in content seem to be advancing almost as fast as the technology displaying it.

It's more acceptable now than ever to show extreme content at all hours of the day.

Hack and slash movies are making a comeback.

Just look at movies like Saw or Hostle. These shows are out of control and

are the perfect example of gratuitous film making that marks our day and age.

It's well known at this point that violent situations cause a chemical reaction in humans.

This reaction is called fight or flight. We must act now.

We are surrounded by violence in every form of media. It's up to us now to either

fight, or run. As adults we have to protect our children.

We must fight this, not run. You have to fight this in your homes, but you have to also

find other avenues to fight the trend of violence.

Look to join forces with anyone fighting violence. Choose fight, not flight. Don't run

out on your children.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


JUSTIN SWAPP is from Ogden USA. He maintains a Writing and Literature blog - Finish Writing and a business blog - Swappratices.

In his blog, he provides invaluable articles about techniques and styles in writing and encourages aspiring writers to give out their best.

This is what he has to say for himself.

And I quote:

"I am a 32 year old with a BS in Business Marketing, and an MBA. Don’t let that fool you, however. I have always loved writing, and storytelling. I feel that reading and writing is extremely important, and I want to share what I can with those who find what I have to say useful. Write on, regardless of what they say. Write on."

End of quote.

Such inspiring words from a knowledgeable blogger. Thanks, Justin for accepting my invitation.