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A majority of popular movies contain a large amount of violence and are not suitable for children. These types of movies, which contain a lot of violence, encourage violent behavior and promotes that it is ok, and acceptable in everyday life (The Effects 2). Media violence often fails to show the consequences of violence (Some Things 1). A few of the most violent movies include: Die Hard, with 2,264 deaths, Rambo, with 3,106 deaths, The Wild Bunch, with 89 deaths, Robocop, with 274 deaths, and Total Recall, with 74 deaths (The Effects 3). According to a study out of Dartmouth University, kids who watch movies like these are five times more likely to try cigarettes or alcohol than kids who have parents that regulate what they watch (Study: Movies 1).
The impact of these violent movies is horrid and it goes further. The quarter of the children with the heaviest exposure to violence in 1960 at ages nine and ten were found to be convicted of criminal offenses during their adult lives 150% more often than the quarter of the children with the smallest exposure to violent entertainment (The Effects 3). Media violence affects children by: increasing aggressiveness and anti-social behavior, increasing their fear of becoming victims, making them less sensitive to violence and to victims of violence, and by increasing their appetite for more violence in entertainment and real life (Some Things 2).
This violence is not reserved for the big screen; In fact a large amount of the problem comes from what television stations put on TV. We now view movies on television complete with graphic sickening violence. Most of the movies that stations are showing are extremely violent, contain graphic sex scenes, bad language, and death (The Effects 3). To add to it all these movies are in the early evening, when children can easily watch. .
The level of violence during Saturday morning cartoons is higher than the level of violence during primetime.
