Who is responsible for protecting children from harm?

Santambrogio RiccardoNeupane Mukunda

Tomassetti Giovanni Eugenio

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

Children’s television

•If it bleeds, it leads

•Half of topic covered by news magazine are about crime

Television news

•60% of programs include one act of violence

•Only physical violence taken in account

•Different from violence of other programs because humorous and unrealistic

National Television Violence Study

(1997) •24 Disney movies from 1937 to 2000

•464 violent elements with 564 weapons

Aust and Everhart

(2007)

•Verbal and physical aggression

•Verbal aggression is the prevalent (95%)

•Physical aggression 13 acts per hour with 71% of shows

Glascock

(2008)

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

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…

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

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 multiplynegative effects

What parents say to children matters

What parents think might help theircildren may actually make the situation worse

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

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?

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

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.

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)

Dexter – TV series STORYDexter is an American television drama series. The seriescenters on Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), a bloodspatter pattern analyst for Miami Metro PoliceDepartment who also leads a secret life as a serial killer,hunting down criminals who have slipped through thecracks 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 somethingthat no amount of editing can get around: theseries compels viewers to empathies with a serialkiller, to root for him to prevail, to hope he doesn'tget 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

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

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

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?

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

……….

Case conclusions

Imitation Solution

Parents

Active mediation

Restrictive

Media

LimitationsBroadcasting

rules

AvailabilityHours of broadcast

Scholars

Make Fox aware of the

danger

New mediation strategies

Possible solutions for the industry

Warning for the parents

Voluntary

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