The Impact of Violent Media
Master of Science in Criminal Justice, Grand Canyon University
JUS-506, Criminal Behavior Analysis
2
Introduction
Individuals speculate exposure to violence alters the thinking of individuals making them more
likely to act. Research indicates a connection and relationship between exposure to violent media
and aggressive behavior especially in young people and adolescence. These factors include
normalization of such crimes (rape and homicide) and desensitizing. In this essay I will discuss
varies methods violent media is distributed , the connection of violence and adolescence and
programs created by legislation to combat the exposure and regulate viewing material to young
people.
Violent Media Influencing Violent Crime Rates Today
Television, the internet, and social media platforms such as TikTok and Facebook are just
a few ways Americans can access violent media. Violent media has become more easily
accessible to all, especially our youth. Violent media can be found in movies, television shows,
news coverage, and games (Consumer and Governmental affairs, 2021). By allowing violent
media into everyday lives, it can be understood that normalizing aggressive behaviors is
acceptable for social norms (Engelhardt et al., 2011b). Exposure to violence desensitizes one’s
, perspective and attributes to what is acceptable in society (Engelhardt et al., 2011). Among the
youth Psychologist Albert Bandura studied the effects of exposure to violence and children. It
was found children learn what they see and will imitate their actions later in life. Aggressiveness
contributed to the formation of the Advisory Committee on Television and Social Behavior of
1967. Children discovered to become desensitized to peer suffering lost empathy for others and
became more fearful of the world around them. Psychologists Huesmann and Eron concluded
that children 8 years old and exposed to aggressive behavior had a connection in their teenage
adult years to more than likely be prosecuted for criminal activity and crimes later in life. During