How Can a Student Resist the Influence of Violence in the Media?
Media shapes our life and behaviors far more than we are sometimes aware. Images and commercials we’ve seen over 40,000 times don’t have the same impact as the first time—they form normative assumptions within our subconscious about the way life is or should be. Children are more susceptible to this influence since they have less discerning understanding about what they see. However, studies by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychological Association demonstrate that the violence and attitudes we see in movies, TV shows, cartoons, video games and music videos has a profound affect on behavior. Sit down with students as parents, teachers and concerned adults to discuss the problem. Ask the students to relate what they think when they see a violent scene in a movie, TV show or video game. Listen to the students’ responses. Then, without lecturing, offer your own thoughts on what you think when you see a violent media scene, even during the news. Do an experiment to
