Before the invention of the television, which has brought entertainment to the homes of millions, people weren’t very much taken up with the forms of entertainment they had, such as the radio, and live theatre prior to that. Life was relatively slow as a result, and thus there wasn’t any significant influence around other than the oscilloscope. This is apart from the few that much preferred, and even today still do prefer, the cozy company of a novel with which they feel much more comfortable. This is because in their view one can visualize and create one’s own images through which they see a subject.

The television on the other hand has already created the pictures for the viewer, and so, one does not have to do much. Hence, the action that the producer wants one to see is inevitable and one does not have a choice (Mass Media, 2004). It is said that the violence that one witnesses today is largely the result of violent content in films. Around “fifty percent of murder victims are between 15 and 34 years old, and 55% of those arrested for murder are under 25 years old. One third of all the violent crimes in the U.S. are committed by individuals under 21 years old” (Psychiatric Effects of Media Violence, 2004).

By immersing the people in so much entertainment, the media has created a new culture for the youth that has kept them so engrossed that many of them have become deviant. Thanks to the strategy of the media in keeping the youth busy with action packed movies deviance is a problem that has caused relationships among families to strain.

This is because of the fact that there have been far too many movies and film series focusing on things like gangster violence, divorce, independence of the individual, etc. that has led to a society that has been losing sight of the norms they used to live by. Due to this shift in the behavior of society disrupting normal family life there was a need for people to realize the value of human relationships. This is the reason why the media has been instructed to make film series that would serve the people and let people know the value of relationships (Vis kids, 2002).

Since the late 1970s it has been known that there was a change in the way that producers made the film series. There was more of a focus on family entertainment that highlighted the need of a family to live together. This is a response that continues even today due to the fact that many youth by the time they get their first jobs wish to move out of their parents’ home and live on their own or with friends. This is something that is seen as detrimental to society in many ways.

By the youth moving away from their families, they are in deed abandoning their parents and other elders in their old age, and also creating an abyss in communication between themselves and the older age groups in society. This is detrimental because of the fact that these young people are living in a subculture, youth culture. However, this does not mean that children living with their parents do not get involved in crime. Children living with their parents certainly do get involved in committing crimes, even though they may not have the extra influences of an independent life like other children who have left home (Anderson, 1997, 161-178).

Many youth without guidance from adults or family find themselves out in the street after not being able to cope with the harshness of the real world. Where else would the society place them if they were criminals and were not of age to be imprisoned?
In order to keep the youth involved in other things so that they do not indulge in crime authorities are greatly concerned with the family lives of the youth, the relationships they have with their family members, and the education they are taking. Since there is a need for the youth to be occupied at all available time entertainment has played a vital role in solving these problems significantly (Post Marxism, 2002).

Today children are encouraged with entertainment and computers so that they remain at home. This is a way of keeping them of the streets and can intellectually boost them so that they can be more academically bound. Undoubtedly parents are also concerned about their children’s health, as too much entertainment does not allow them a healthy lifestyle either (Reagor, 2004).

There are also films made for the school-going children that help to improve the way that they interact with their peers. The reason why this is important is because of the fact that there is a tremendous problem that people are facing in some schools due to the fact that school violence is on the rise. In order to curtail violence in schools these films are of vital importance, as a harmful youth can be fostered through educational institutions if authorities do not do anything about it (Facts About Media Violence and Effects on the American Family, 1997).

One suggestion by the American Academy of Pediatrics in particular regarding home entertainment is that children should be exposed to “no more than 1 or 2 hours of television a day” (Psychiatric Effects of Media Violence, 2004). The intensity of violent entertainment is demonstrated in the fact that many people find it too much to tolerate. “In a survey commissioned by the American Medical Association, two-thirds of all adults and 75% of adults with children have walked out of a movie or turned off the television because the content was too violent” (Psychiatric Effects of Media Violence, 2004).

A problem that must be realized too is the fact that there is also a counter move going on at the same time, seemingly undoing the work that authorities are involved in. Though authorities are concerned with controlling violence and deviance of other kinds in the society by keeping children off the street, action-packed movies are still being produced (Race in Britain, 2004). Is this a way of creating a problem on one hand and countering on the other to keep the masses busy? Or is it simply another form of entertainment used to keep other groups of society entertained and the affects of it just happen to interfere with the youth?

It also must be realized that if there were no such movies made then there would also be many people in society who would not have entertainment of their taste, which means that they would be bored and sought other pleasures. Another thing that people in this category might get up to is inquiring about the faults in social institutions, which is something that governing bodies in society certainly wouldn’t tolerate (Cohen, 1973, 15-21).

It must be finally asserted that if television is really to be used to benefit society, it must take into consideration the content that is fit for viewers of all ages. This means that entertainment that is overly violent should be reduced or at the least age restrictions should be more strongly enforced. Without tighter controls on violent entertainment of the production of it, one can hardly witness a society saving its youth from turning violent during their sensitive and developmental stages.

Works Cited:

Allen, I. Child Development, Huston, 2001. http://www.cfah.org/hbns/newsrelease/television9-21-01.cfm
Anderson, C.A. Effects of Violent Movies and Trait Hostile Feelings and Aggressive Thoughts. Aggressive Behavior 23(1997) 3, pp. 161-178. 1997
Cohen, Stanley, and Jock Young, The Manufacture of News: A Reader. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications. Pp 15-21, 1973.
Facts About Media Violence and Effects on the American Family. 1997. http://www.babybag.com/articles/amaviol.htm
Mass Media. Accessed on 11-15-2004. <http://www.marxismmadesimple.esmartweb.com/massmedia.htm>
Post Marxism. 2002. <http://www.revision-notes.co.uk/revision/155.html>
Psychiatric Effects of Media Violence, 2004. http://www.psych.org/public_info/media_violence.cfm
Race in Britain -- some classic sociological approaches. Accessed on 11-15-2004.
Reagor, J. Music, Television, and Video Games and Their Effect on Children! Accessed on 11-15-2004. http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~tonya/VideoGames/3.html
Vis kids. Accessed on 11-15-2004. http://www.viscotland.org.uk/textimages/VISKIDS/High/entertainment/TV/Comedy.htm