The problem of media violence and the impact violent media content could have on children.

1. Who is responsible for protecting children from harm?
Santambrogio Riccardo
Neupane Mukunda
Tomassetti Giovanni Eugenio

2. Introduction
 “Visual portrayals of acts of physical aggression by one human or human-like
character against another”
 Sources of violent exposition
 Watching Television
 Streaming Content Online
 Watching DVD or DVRs
 Children spend 22% of time watching television

3. Children’s television
• If it bleeds, it leads
•Half of topic covered by news
magazine are about crime
Television news
National Television
Violence Study
(1997) •24 Disney movies from 1937 to 2000
•60% of programs include one act of
violence
•Only physical violence taken in
account
•Different from violence of other
programs because humorous and
unrealistic
•464 violent elements with 564
weapons
Aust and Everhart
(2007)
Glascock
(2008)
•Verbal and physical aggression
•Verbal aggression is the prevalent
(95%)
•Physical aggression 13 acts per
hour with 71% of shows

4. Fictional violence exposure (68)
Negative effects
Behavioral effects
Imitation
Behavioral
modeling
Aggressive actions
Script
After exposure to
violence
How children
decide to behave in
certain situations
Effect still negative
even though the
content is
Humorous
Unrealistic
Sanitized
Desensitization
Emotional reaction
Physiological
reaction
Slow reaction to
real violence
Symptoms
Sleeping
Crying
Shaking
Obsessive thinking

5. Violence in the news exposure( 69-70)
 Research focus on fear reaction of children to
 Major crises
 Wars
 Terrorist attacks
 Catastrophes
 Everyday violence (50 % of the news)
 Results shows that children show short and long-term symptoms like:
 Sadness
 Fear
 Anxiety-related behaviors
 Post-traumatic stress disorder…

6. Responsible parties to prevent harm(70-71)
 Harm is an act or state that "sets back" the interest of someone else
 E.g. Childrens’ disturbed in sleep, imitate a violent action etc.
 Cognitive and emotional outcomes still can constitute harm
Media Industry

7. The Responsibilities of parents (71-74)
Restrictive mediation strategies Active Mediation strategies
 Dictating the type of televison content
 Limited time with television
 But
 Forbidden fruit effect
 Accidental exposure
 Parents own viewing behavior
 Parents’belief as news being educational
 Parents co-view and explain their child
 Mixed results but more positive outcomes
 Parent’ s comment may multiply
negative effects
 What parents say to children matters
 What parents think might help their
cildren may actually make the situation
worse

8. Suggestions for parents (74-75)
 Education and more edcation
 Rely on research rather than intuition
 Homework
 Ethical responsibility to educate themselves on mass media
 Parenting books
 Child`s pediatrician
 Discussion of media usage on yearly visits
 Appropriate practices and preocedures
 Awareness
 What children are watching
 Media use should take place in open spaces
 Vigiliant in terms of monitoring children`s media use
 Model good media use habits for children
In addition, parents should inspire kids to:
• Watch recreational channels like Discovery
• Do sports and enjoy nature
• Read books

9. Media Industry (74-76)
• Greatest partner of parents ( No
legal obligation)
• Children’s lack cognitive and
emotional skills needed to
prevent negative media effects
• V-Chip technology= ratings (”V
&FV”) based on content and age
appropriateness ( Information to
parents)
• Disclaimer= ”Extra Violent”
• Under-rated because there is
no advisory board
• Parents are unaware or
cannot interpret ratings
 Ethical and Moral Responsibility
Why Media Industry? Whats being done currently? Problems?

10. Suggestions for the Media Industry (76-77)
Producers of Fictional
television programing
• Mimic the movie rating
system ( rating in ads)
• Black screen warning (e.g.
”The walking dead”)
Jouranalists
• ”Violence free” blocks of
television time
• Provide ratinfs like
fictional programs

11. Media scholars
Scholars have produced loads of researches over the last decades but they have
failed in sharing their findings
Usually these researches are
published only on academic
journals and presented at
academic conferences.
They are unavailable for most of
the people.

12. Suggestions for media scholars
• Need of new mediation strategies
• Collaboration between scholars and media industry
• Take into consideration that families are different, and different are the strategies
they adopt
• Focus more on the economic disadvantages related to violence-affected TV
programs
Scholars must make their findings accessible to the people.
• Write more books targeted to general public
• Establish continuous conversation with the medical community (pediatricians in
particular)

13. Dexter – TV series STORY
Dexter is an American television drama series. The series
centers on Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), a blood
spatter pattern analyst for Miami Metro Police
Department who also leads a secret life as a serial killer,
hunting down criminals who have slipped through the
cracks of the justice system.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dexter_(TV_series)#Critical_reception
TIMOTHY F. WINTER
The TV series should not be broadcasted because
"The biggest problem with the series is something
that no amount of editing can get around: the
series compels viewers to empathies with a serial
killer, to root for him to prevail, to hope he doesn't
get discovered.“
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/dexter-the-serial-killer-loses-his-mojo-
1217792.html CONCLUSION
• Gratuit violence, justified and awarded
• Repeated violent events depicted in details
• Identification in the principal actor
• Broadcasted in protected hours
• Easily reachable for children

14. Example
Steven Miles
16 years old
Oxted, Surrey
Fanatic for horror films and the macabre
Diagnosed as having an autistic syndrome
Elizabeth Thomas
17 years old
Oxted, Surrey
A-level student
Steven Miles girlfriend

15. Event
 Steve Miles throttle his girlfriend and dismembered
her putting all the pieces of his body in plastic bags.
 He said at the questioning he had an alter-ego called
Ed who said him to kill her
 Psychiatrists:
 Not understand the “phenomenon” but the
defendant was not psychotic.
 He tried to emulate his “idol” Dexter doing what he
saw severe times in the TV show
 Charged with 25 years of prison
Lewis Power QC:
“The case is a sad testament to the perils of how young
people can become entrenched in modern TV
blockbusters involving violence which shockingly led to a
copycat killing in real life”
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/oct/02/teenager-steven-miles-murdered-girlfriend

16. What could have possibly prevented?
 Did parents know how he was being influenced by the serie?
 Had it not seen it?
 Had it been co-viewed and explained better?
 Had his behavior been monitored constantly?
 Had it been presented diffrently, or presented not at all?
 Had his paediatrician understood his behavior?
 Did he have any external influence?

17. Critiques
 The case does not look at the bright side of media “valuable skills “
 Schools could play a role as well- Media literacy curriculum
 Children's reach to mobile phones and social network
 Friends- feeding details about violent or inappropriate material he’s seen,
or perhaps heard about from someone else
 Consulting other parents
 ……….

18. Case
conclusions
Imitation Solution
Parents
Active
mediation
Restrictive
Media
Limitations
Broadcasting
rules
Availability
Hours of
broadcast
Scholars
Make Fox
aware of the
danger
New
mediation
strategies
Possible
solutions for
the industry
Warning for
the parents
Voluntary

19. References
 Dexter’s plot:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dexter_(TV_series)#Critical_reception
 Parents Television Council president assessment,
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/dexter-the-
serial-killer-loses-his-mojo-1217792.html
 Crime news:
 http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/oct/02/teenager-steven-miles-murdered-
girlfriend
 http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-29459516
 Riddle k., The Case of Media Violence: Who is Responsible for Protecting
Children from Harm?, pp. 65- 84