Incidents of violence have been occurring one after another, and it's the media's job to extensively report stories of global importance. However, because of the rise of social media, portable gadgets, and even gaming consoles, media's coverage of violence are also reaching more innocent young minds of children.
News 9 reports an initiative of a group of physicians that calls on stakeholders--parents, legislators and the media itself--to produce a project that would help limit the children's daily exposure to virtual violence. Pediatricians should be required to ask their patients what they see on media and how often do they see such material, which could be called the children's "media diet."
Parents, of course, should be in control of their minor's "media diet." They should know what their children watch and impose restrictions on how often they can watch it and whether or not they can watch such material in the first place.
The policy statement comes from the American Academy of Pediatrics that has observed a significant link between virtual and real-world violence. The physicians do recognize that different children respond to virtual violence differently, but there is no way of determining which child is affected more than the average (via News 9). It's still better to be safe than sorry so as much as possible, the parent's should be in charge of their children's "media diet."
Children under age of six should be entirely banned to watch or play virtual violence because it is still difficult for the kid to separate fantasy from reality. Monitoring a children's "media diet" is a hefty task because of recording devices with shareable functions and easier, faster, and cheaper access to smartphones.
The news sector could not be controlled because news gets reported when a newsworthy event happens in real life. But the part of media, the entertainment industry, is in the hands of an influential few. The higher-ups of the industry should change content in a way that it would not glamorize violence that may entice children to cop (via News 9).
According to a report in 1982 by the National Institute of Mental Health, children who are exposed to violence on television may become less sensitive to the pain of others. They might be more scared of the world they live in and are likely to behave aggressively towards others.
As per American Academy of Child And Adolescent Psychiatry, the typical American child has garnered more than two hundred thousand views. Among the 200,000 violent attacks, 16,000 murders have been committed before 18 years old.
How do you think can parents establish a strong "media diet" but would not give their children a feeling of imprisonment? Comment below your thoughts and follow Parent Herald for more news and updates.
