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Student Name Professor Name Delinquency 8 September 2012 Media Influence and Delinquency The amount of violent content broadcasted in the media has been increasing over the years. Violence is demonstrated in films, video games, television, music videos, online gaming and other forms of media. The long-term effects of this demonstration are significant, because they may alter a persons perspective on life and change relationships with other people. Obviously movies, television, and music videos have the widest audience; therefore, they cause the most significant and long-term effect on peoples attitudes and development of aggressiveness. Research shows that people that watch television for a long time are more likely to be violent, and tend to use strength and force to solve conflicts more than other people do (Anderson, 2003). Media portrayals of violence result in the individuals viewing the world as being hostile; thus, they develop issues with trusting other people. These effects depend on a persons exposure and are likely to increase, as violence becomes more and more frequent and colourful in the media. Delinquency in the media is a serious topic because the depictions of violence are included in different programs, even childrens TV shows and games. Therefore, the effect of media violence becomes apparent in both children and adults (Murray, 2008). The effect of violence portrayed in the media is more significant in children than in adults. This is because of the amount of time children spend in front of the TV, as they watch television more than adults do. Moreover, children are more sensitive and perceptible to the new information. They are in a development stage; thus, they are more likely to be influenced by the

Yourlastname 2 television in terms of changing their behaviour. Some studies have linked the long-termed exposure to violent information in the media in childhood with different forms of aggression and behavioural deviations, such as spouse abuse, domestic violence, or physical assault, in the future (Anderson et al, 2003). To sum up, it is necessary to say that there is an evident connection between the media violence and increased aggression among viewers. The most powerful influence media has on children, as they tend to spend more time before the TV and computer than the adults.

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Works Cited Anderson, C. A. (2003). The Influence of Media Violence on Youth. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 4 (3), 81-113.