Gratuitous Violence

There have been countless studies on the effects of television and movie violence on kids. But, experts are now focusing their attention on the kind of violence kids see rather than how much.

The most dangerous kind of violence is called “gratuitous violence” or violence for violence sake. Experts say while old movies, like westerns and gory horror films did show violence, it was usually put in a moral context and was much less graphic. But in today’s movies, the audience is rarely given a chance to sympathize for the victim and there’s often no grief for loss. “I think that kind of violence springs from a really deep place in the human psyche,” says Ralph D’Clemente,Ph.D, a psychologist studying the effects of gratuitous violence. “It taps into this well spring of anger, hate and animosity.” says D’Clemente.

Kids who watch gratuitous violence begin to believe that it’s normal and an acceptable way of responding. D’Clemente says senseless violence in movies desensitizes children. Many scenes that would make adults shutter, kids find easy to watch. “I’m not one of the queasy people who has to close my eyes on the violent stuff” says 14 year old Michael. “I’m perfectly content with blood.”

What Parents Should Know

In today’s society we are bombarded by all sorts of media that disseminate negative information. Parents need to be proactive in monitoring a child’s exposure in order to keep kids from internalizing what they see and experience. Here are some suggestions:

• Monitor the television habits of young children and watch shows with them, even the ones that seem the most innocent, such as cartoons.
• Pay attention to the new ratings for prime time programs. Pay attention to ratings for films shown at movie theaters and be aware that many theaters will admit youth without appropriate supervision.
• Check the ratings and content of video games that children play. Many of them contain extremely gory graphics.
• Discuss content and make sure your child understands good vs. bad, and the difference between reality and fantasy.
• With the influences coming from so many directions it is impossible to pre-screen everything that children see or interact with, but every effort should be made to be aware of what is impacting them.