Violent movies, television shows and/or video games have been tremendously popular within adults, adolescents and even children in today’s society.  Several Americans turn to media violence as a form of entertainment and an amusing hobby, however some that the entertainment companies have gone to the extreme.  Though debates, arguments and researches have said that media violence causes Americans to have anxiety of the negativity they see on television.  Also, some researches have even reported that media violence causing aggression towards individuals.  Despite the thousands of studies on the effects of media violence, no actual research has provided any apparent proof of such negative effects.

Concern on the effects of media violence, especially within children, is dated back to the era of 1950s and 1960s.  Many researchers have stated that harmful effects in children are occurring when they view violence within the media.  “These harmful effects include (1) children’s learning of aggressive attitudes and behaviors; (2) desensitization or an increased callousness toward victims of violence; and (3) increased or exaggerated fear of being victimized by violence (Dowd, Singer, Wilson 207).”  However, though there remain strong viewpoints of the harmful effects within children in today’s society, children are still constantly viewing these media shows.  As a result, the only person to blame is the parents and/or guardians of these children.  Since the parent reiterates that violent images on television and in movies may seem traumatizing to children, than parents should take a role in preventing their child from watching these violent images.  People are arguing that children tend to levitate towards aggression when they view negative images on television, and these children do not realize that it is only entertainment.  A popular strategy when discussing the problem of media violence is to shift the blame onto another person and/or object.

Basically, the main solution to this problem is for the parents to take action, why should entertainment industry stop releasing items that have demonstrated enjoyment within society?  It doesn’t seem fair for all individuals to be prohibited and limited to the entertainment they enjoy.  If a child is being affected negatively by the violence within the media, than the parent should take action.  These days, there are several ways a child can be prevented from viewing negative aspects of the media.  For example, nearly every cable company has added a feature where parents can block the channels that are viewed from their children.  Also, every Internet program is given a parental control feature where children are forbidden from viewing any negative websites, images and or videos.  Furthermore in terms of video games, nearly every videogame store is asked for identification when a child is attempting to purchase a video that is rated above their age group.  The only time a videogame store is able to accept purchasing for a game is when it is rated “E,” which indicates that it is rated for everyone and any age group.  Therefore, how are children playing such negative and violent games if they aren’t able to purchase them without income and/or legal age identification?  There are several factors that cause parents to be the blame for children viewing the violence within the media.  However, just because parents aren’t exemplifying excellent parenting skills does not justify punishment for all Americans in society.  Parents should be more reliable and responsible within the images, videos and/or video games that their child obtains.