Violence

Teen violence is the second main cause of death!

 

Things that increase the chances of being involved in violence

• Being in a gang
• Use of drugs or alcohol
• TV influences behavior. If it didn't, Nike, Budweiser, Pepsi, etc. would not invest billions of dollars in advertisements.
• Violence on TV occurs in most programs and more so, in cartoons.
• By age 12 the average child has witnessed at least 8,000 murders and more than 100,000 other acts of violence on television.
• Thousands of studies have shown that violence on TV can influences behavior and attitudes among children who watch it.
• While not all researchers agree, the Surgeon General reports that TV violence is linked to aggressive behavior in children who view violent shows. Similarly, American Medical Association, American Psychological Association, UNESCO, and US Attorney General, have all reached the conclusion is that TV violence is linked to the proliferation of violence in our culture.
• The proliferation of violence and pornography on the Internet has become a significant factor in desensitizing children to violence and sexual crimes against women, children and vulnerable minorities.
• In summary: Violence in the media, whether it is reflected in music, cartoons, wrestling shows or movies, can desensitize children to the effects of violence, legitimizes and glorifies violence and increases aggressive behavior in those who watch it on TV or the Internet. One must remember that there are more significant factors, such as child abuse, domestic violence, gangs in the neighborhood, that are likely desensitize people to violence or increase violent behavior.

 Ways to help prevent teen violence

• Get counseling
• Remove weapons from home that could be used by the teen in an act of violence
• Limit access to violent movies, t.v shows etc
• Have good communication with children 
• Talk to an adult about bullying 
• Avoid showing anger
• Set limits and expectations

http://www.teenhelp.com/teen-violence/getting-help-violence.html

http://students.ed.uiuc.edu/catey/TeenViolence.html

http://www.zurinstitute.com/teenviolence.html#tv