Children: A Short Term Longitudinal Study

It is evident that over decades that web has changed the world and revolutionised all aspects of life from storing information to consuming it. Its affects not just businesses and entertainment, but also politics and media. Eliminating all restrictions posed by geographical boundaries, web has connected lives across the globe. In this essay, I wish to discuss the effects of media violence on kids. Internet has over time become of particular interest to journalism. To examine its influence on media and journalism, I will be summarising arguments presented by Gentile, Coyne and Walsh in their paper titled “Media Violence, Physical Aggression, and Relational Aggression in School Age Children: A Short-Term Longitudinal Study”, published in the

While examining various types of aggression they measure children’s exposure to media violence and their aggressive behaviour during school years (Gentile, Coyne, & Walsh, 2011). After inquiring into the details of the topic, their results showed that children who consumed media violence in early school years had verbally aggressive behaviour (Gentile, Coyne, & Walsh, 2011). Some also showed high physically aggressive behaviour and were less social during their late school years (Gentile, Coyne, & Walsh, 2011). They further claimed that such effects were more prevalent in boys; while other forms of non-physical violent behaviour was visible in girls too (Gentile, Coyne, & Walsh, 2011). Media violence also seemed to have effects on the social information processing intent attributions which were found to be hostile. Equipped with scientific models, their study showed significant positive correlation between media violence effect and hostile attribution bias, verbal aggression and physical aggression (Gentile, Coyne, & Walsh, 2011). Media violence effects were immediate and forceful on children’s aggressive beliefs and

published in The Nation. In this article by Maggie Cutler, who creates a thoughtful piece of writing acknowledging that even though it is true that media today is mostly violent in its outlook, nonetheless, one cannot completely hold it responsible for perpetrating destructive mannerisms in people (Cutler, 2001). Her article talks mostly in the context of media and its effects on children. Cutler, in her article mentions that different studies have been undertaken to study and evaluate the effect of media that prove that media is the cause for encouraging children for carrying violent behaviour (Cutler, 2001). However, she brings out certain evident details that prove that these conclusions are not fully valid (Cutler, 2001). First, she points out the Stanford-study, which promotes study on media violence (Cutler, 2001). She says that it is rather a study of media overuse, self-awareness and rewards for self-discipline (Cutler, 2001). The findings of the study do not suggest media violence affecting kids, but that too much of exposure to such stuff affects interactive capabilities of children (Cutler, 2001). She concludes by stating that children are able point out differences between what is real and unreal. They can also understand when something is made joke of or if the matter is serious (Cutler, 2001). Therefore, she, states, the larger role in controlling the effect of violent media is played