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EFFECT OF TELEVISION VIOLENCE PROGRAMMES ON ADOLESCENTS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1    Background to the Study

The potential effect of television viewing on children’s aggressive behaviour has been a source of concern and research interest since the introduction of television (Greenstein, 1994). Generally, many feared that television viewing would have a negative impact on the behaviour of most especially, the adolescents in the schools, because viewing, especially violent television programmes, will affect the character or behaviour of the viewing child. Not only the behaviour, children who form the habits of viewing aggressive television programmes, turn out to be low achievers in their academics.

A number of studies on the content of television programming confirms the popular impression that violence is persuasive on television (Garbner and Cross, 1994). Since the average adult spends more than three hours a day watching television and most children watch at least two hours per day, both adults and children are exposed to a lot of television violence (Lyle & Hoffman, 1992)

Many (Garbner and Cross, 1994, Lyle & Hoffman, 1992) feel that a steady diet of televised violence increases the tendency of the viewers, especially children, to behave aggressively. Since most children spend so much time watching television and since viewing an aggressive model can influence aggression it might follow that watching aggression on television can foster aggressive impulse among children. Through watching televised aggression children become emotionally aroused, learn that aggression is acceptable, become accustomed to viewing violence and so on.

In the society, there has been a dramatic increase in interpersonal violence in the last century which occurred at the same time with the dramatic changes in life styles produced by the great technological renovations of the 20th century. Notable of these is the introduction of the mass media into children’s everyday life. It is not surprising therefore, that speculations about violent behaviour has been prevalent in the society since motion pictures showing violent acts were first distributed. With the advent of television in the early 1950s, violence surrounds us not only in real life but also in our environment as films and movies emphasized it. With improved techniques, television in both its news reports and entertainments, provides a steady show of violence. Riot, uprising, wars, terriorism, raids, and rapes all are parts of our daily lives in the news (Johncourt, 2000).

Fredrick & Stein (1995) described television as a dominating powerful drug on the minds of children, as rather a conveyor of cultural values, attitudes and beliefs that is homogenizing our society and a socialization agent of a child along side with the school, the family, and the peer group. Yet, the television has not received much attention in terms of research as other agents of socialization especially, in developing countries like Nigeria. Hence, the reason for this research work. Robert et al (1991).

In addition, to providing entertainment television has impact on children’s learning both in school and out of school since television is a “powerful teaching tool”. Palmerton and Jones (1994). The effect of its violent programmes which is not doubt very important on children’s behaviour needs to be investigated and curbed.

Violence pervades in lots of programmes on the television. If you turn on your television set, you see dramas in which people are stabbed, shot, beaten, or poisoned. Cartoons in which animals inflict injuries on one another in an amazing number of ways. Violence permeates sports as in the case of boxing and wrestling. There have been several soccer games related riots in which hundreds of fans were injured or killed. A number of studies of the content of television programming confirms the popular impression that violence is prevalent on television, (Gerbner and Cross, 1994).

Television has been criticized of showing “foreign films which propagates the culture of immorality”. Thus, brutalizing the highly impressionable minds of our children (Igbinedon, 1994). The local films have nothing to offer than violence, rituals, killings and murder as rightly reported by Mr. Zack Amata (Guardian Saturday, December 16, 2000). Children believe everything they see in the television and they imitate and behave that way. This is because, the child’s intelligence is still developing and unequal to the task for accessing and evaluating what he sees on television because, they cannot distinguish between realities and the world of fantasy.

Apart from learning specific aggressive behaviours, exposure to violent television programmes teaches attitudes, norms and values that are conducive to violence (Bandura, 1983). It is believed that most violent children like watching violent programmes on the television. It is undisputable fact that television influences behaviour either directly or indirectly. The effect of violent television programmes on the aggressive behaviour of children cannot be over-emphasized. It has been reported that across all channels, television violence contributes to the learning of aggressive behaviour and attitudes in children.

Violence is made more acceptable to children because of the way and manner it is portrayed on the television programmes. It is shown as the great adventure, means to achieve, one’s goals and he who is best as it wins. There is no doubt that heavy exposure to televised violence is one 

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