Violence: true or false?

Does it really matter if young children are exposed to violence in the media?

Try our True or False quiz.

Violence in the media is OK for children …

• if it makes them laugh
• so long as the goodies always beat the baddies
• if it is on the TV News
• if it is in a cartoon

if it makes them laugh

False

• Research tells us that making violence funny, increases the risk that children will use it.

so long as the goodies always beat the baddies

False

• Research tells us that violence performed by heroes and which is seen as justified and is rewarded, increases the risk that children will use violence.

if it is on the TV News

False

• Research tells us that children react differently to depictions of real life violence in the news at different stages of their lives.
• Children under seven or eight will be most upset by visual images of disasters and destruction.
• Children aged eight to twelve are disturbed by violence or cruelty to children and animals.
• Older children fear that the events depicted could happen to them, especially war or terrorist attacks.

if it is in a cartoon

False

• Because children under the age of seven lack the ability to differentiate between fantasy and reality, they pay attention to what makes heroes powerful in cartoon shows as much as they do in real life dramas.
• Many cartoons show children that violence works, violence wins, violence is funny and violence has no real consequences.

Young Media Australia recommends …

Avoid violent media as much as possible, no matter what the format, particularly for very young children. With older children, limit exposure to media violence and discuss it with them. Explain that, in real life, violence hurts, violence is unattractive and violence is not justified or rewarded. If they have been disturbed by violence they have seen on the TV News, reassure them according to their level of understanding.