Many children watch a lot of violence on television. And we know for a fact that there has been an enormous expansion of violent computergames in the last decade. Does it have any effect on the children? Should it be banned? Who is taking the responsibility?
The first question is quite easy. Of course it influence the children who are watching it! When they’ve watched films containing a lot of fighting-scenes, they act more aggressively than they usually do. They aren’t able to separate between real violence at news, and violence at films. It’s like watching a theatrical performance. When they see a character hit another person to get what he want, they start to believe that violence is the only way to solve difficult problems. Even if the violence is done with good reason (if there is any..) by a policeman, they can’t part it from «nasty violence». Research shows us that children who watch many hours of violent television, tended to be more aggressive on the playground and in the classroom.