Does Video Violence Effect The Teen Brain?
The
discussion of whether or not video violence is affecting young people has been
around for quite a while now. It has been accused of being the main cause of
many accidents involving teens, yet it has also been shown to be positive in
some areas of the brain. Has the video age had a positive or negative influence
on the teenage world today, or are we worried about something with a deeper
underlying cause?
Video
violence has amassed itself into society today in a big way. Everywhere you
look you can see a commercial or advertisement for a violent videogame or
movie. The problem is, most parents or older citizens believe that this wave of
technology is disastrously harming our younger generation. Is this true or
false? Well, to answer that question, we’ll have to take a deeper look into the
teenage mind itself.
The
first issue we should discuss is violence in videogames. This is the classic
issue that has had parents frazzled and debating whether or not children should
be exposed to these things. Ultimately, the answer will come down to what the
parent decides for that child, but how does this affect the rest of our
society? Well, for starters, when the first Grand Theft Auto game emerged,
crime rates dropped a little more than fifty percent. That’s correct, after
this violent videogame released, crime rates were cut in half. This crime rate
was dropped not only by adults, but mischievous teens as well. The reason for
this is actually quite simple. The violent videogame became an outlet. It was
an outlet for anger, aggression, and other thoughts not beneficial to the
outside world. The cause of most violence in teenagers comes from pent up rage
or depression that they have no way to express out of fear, social anxiety, or
possibly even a lack of trust in the world. Teenage years are the years of
puberty, changes, and generally feeling strange or different. That means that
it may be harder for some to adapt to these changes and feel unaccepted. This
was the key for the videogames to take over. It gave them an escape from a
reality and an entrance to a new life in a way. Speaking now on the accidents
that occur with the blame of violent media, why is that always the first thing
that people would jump to for blame? In most cases where a teen has committed a
crime, violent videogames were blamed. Underneath though, most of the teens had
some form of mental illness or instability that was also known! Now, could that
be the actual cause of these violent and sporadic outbursts in our younger generation?
Perhaps, like most cases, the child was abused or neglected resulting in
another form of instability? Instead though, we turn our faces from that point
and look towards blaming a visual media outlet. There has never been a proven
case in which violent outbreaks immediately stemmed from a violent videogame.
Always, there has been the underlying cause of mental issues. Does that not
sound like a more reasonable explanation to this issue of teen violence instead
of blaming an insentient object that has no actual control over teen thoughts?
Risk
factors are not only worried about from violent media, but from other causes
too. These are also worried about from internet usage. Now, this is stemmed
from parents spending more time with their children as well. If parents spend
more time with their kids, it is proven that they will feel more accepted and
participate more in school and other activities instead of risk behaviors. This
is where the internet issue takes over. If parents are worried about what their
children see online, then the closer the bond they have with their kids will
allow them to monitor and control what they do or see on the internet. In most
cases though, the internet is a helpful life tool, not a monster found on
computers or smartphones. Finally, we need to speak about intelligence, which
is also another stem from the parent issue. When parents spend more time with
their children, they can help them in school or get them the proper tutoring
they need. Yes, intelligence does come
from genetics in most cases, but a healthy parental relationship and school
system can do just as much for the kids as any genetics could.
