Killing it: Overexposure of violence in the media leads to harmful actions being normalized

From desperate fight videos in the hallways of East and graphic video games to movies and TV, the media’s portrayal of violence has increased overtime. With this comes the normalization and the acceptance of violence in everyday life.

There’s no reason for 10-year-olds to have access to Mortal Kombat or Grand Theft Auto 5 — two games containing vivid and realistic violent graphics. When kids see violent interactions between people from a young age, it becomes the norm. Instead of teaching empathy, this media teaches apathy. 

The overexposure to violence and brutality in the media is causing our youth to view aggression as the go-to response for negative feelings. Exposing kids to this content increases the odds that they become more comfortable with harmful actions. 

Aggression between peers is no longer considered bullying. They were just “messing around” or “had it coming.” I’m not suggesting that violence is a new phenomenon, but as the scope of media grows, its influence in handling conflict does too. 

Now more than ever, the immediate response from teens and adults to any conflict is to physically harm the other person. It’s all too common to throw a punch instead of using words like we were taught in kindergarten. It’s what we’ve grown up seeing online. 

According to the American Psychological Association, not only does this increase violence in school settings, but also suggests that there are dwindling consequences for outward aggression. Instead of being condemned by peers, the fights are filmed, cheered on and circulated around the school.

According to the APA, based on a 15-year-long study with 329 adolescents, being exposed to violence regularly negatively impacts their behavior. The study showed that continuous exposure to violence both in real life and through media made children, regardless of gender, more aggressive. 

This doesn’t mean the violence of an individual can be solely attributed to the media they consume. There are a variety of factors, including family life, mental health and environment  that also contribute to one’s inclination towards violence. 

We consistently see individuals who have raped, murdered or assaulted others being glorified in the media. Whether it’s Jeffrey Epstein scandals or the Golden State Killer, people seem infatuated with horrific crimes. The crimes are created into documentaries, books and podcasts for average people to consume. 

And we do consume it. We eat it up. The content continues being produced, and the cycle continues. No matter how seemingly justifiable or attractive the Menendez brothers or Luigi Mangioni are, they still killed someone. 

We even enjoy series on psychopathic killers like Jefferey Dahmer. Admittedly, I love true crime. But it’s not good for me. As we absorb this type of media, the subject-matter becomes less and less alarming. 

According to the Surgeon General’s 1972 report on television violence, exposure to brutality on television can lead to children copying the behavior short-term. It was noted that other influences, such as family or environment, are more significant in their impact. We’ve known the impact of violence on psychology for decades, and done nothing to prevent it. 

Society is effectively resistance-training our brains to not react to violence with fear, sadness or anger, but rather to enjoy it and crave more. 

It’s entirely possible I’m more sensitive than the average person, but there are better ways to spend our time. Instead of watching two kids you barely know throw wonky punches by the stairwell, you could be investing in improving yourself. Maybe develop a new hobby instead of encouraging hatred on the internet.

You can place restrictions on your social media apps that filter out violent content and focus on content that will build you up or make you smarter, rather than tear others down. I would highly encourage parents to make use of these filters. Self-care is so much better than watching teenage boys wrestle in a dirty stairwell. 

Choosing to grow as an individual and reject the normalcy of aggression that’s so common nowadays and at our age doesn’t make you a snowflake, it makes you empathetic and human. Being mature isn’t something to be ashamed of. Having basic human empathy isn’t a bad thing, but rather something that should be a baseline expectation.

Rejecting the normalcy is a step towards breaking the cycle of violent media production that is harming our society more than it’s helping.