A recent study by Jeffrey Johnson of Columbia University has confirmed what several studies already have said about the link between violence and watching television. The study reports watching television for more than one hour a day leads to an increase in “assaults, fights, robberies and other aggressive acts.”

But this evidence obscures the complexity of what causes youth violence and gives a massive issue too simple an explanation. According to the Columbia University study, it isn’t what the kids are watching; too much of any type of television leads to an increased aggression rate in later adolescence.

But a study such as this is dangerous because it allows another scapegoat to explain adolescent problems. It provides a quick fix. We might assume that restricting our children’s TV viewing would result in a less-violent youth population, which isn’t likely.

Television is just one of many problems. Assigning it the bulk of the blame lessens individual responsibility in the situation. Television is always an option to entertain children. Pay your electricity bills, and it will always be there. Of course kids watch too much of it — it’s always there when there’s nothing else to do.

The Columbia study is worth something. It concludes that too much television makes a child more aggressive. But parents have to be careful with what they make of this finding. Children want attention. That’s the heart of the matter. Less television will not solve anything in and of itself.
We may look at the finding as one cause of later childhood aggression.

But the matter is a finely woven tapestry, not a single string of yarn.
Pay attention to kids. Children need and crave activity outside the living room. When activities are not supplied, they tend to turn to television.

They become forced to shelter themselves from the world. Then, almost suddenly, the world is in front of them, and many have no idea how to deal with it.

Societal interaction at a young age gives children a foundation upon which to build their interpersonal skills. If kids knew how to properly develop relationships, surely there would be a decrease in teenage aggression.
So, yes, turn off the TV sets, but don’t forget to find something better to do.

This editorial comes from the Daily Illini at the University of Illinois.
This column was distributed by U-Wire.

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TCU Daily Skiff © 2002