Are America’s Children Becoming More Violent?

With more and more negative influences in the world today, people wonder why American Children are becoming more violent. Many children turn to drugs, gangs, and violence because they do not see another “attractive alternative.” Everywhere children turn, they are experiencing some type of negative influence in their lives.

Pop culture in America has a major effect on how a child behaves and acts. Watching movies and TV and listening to music can really affect a child’s mood and how the child will react to different situations. The news alone shows all of the crime, violence, and shootings going on in the local area. Videos games such as Grand Theft Auto, Halo, and Call of Duty are games in which the main character has to shoot and kill in order to survive. Children seeing this everyday may think that the world runs this way. Musical artists TuPac and Eminem glorify violence on the streets and the gang culture. Some critics even believe that the lyrics heard by children may encourage them to use violence as a way to solve their problems.

Critics and observers also believe that children may be becoming more violent due to the easy accessibility of guns. At the Columbine High School massacre, all of the guns and ammunition were bought legally. As a result, fifteen people died. Also, at the Westside Middle School, 13-year-old Mitchell Johnson and 11-year-old Andrew Golden killed five people and injured ten. They obtained seven of the ten weapons used from Golden’s grandfather, an Arkansas wildlife official. Even more shocking was the children’s accuracy. Of the thirty-six rounds shot, twenty-seven shots were hits. Both of the boys were taught at a young age how to hunt and fire a weapon. This shows that even the smallest person can have a huge impact.

Outside influences may not be the only cause for negativity. Children who come from dysfunctional families may be influenced by the aggressive behavior and the situations taking place inside the home. Children may see their parents acting in a certain manner and think it is ok. They may then take these actions out onto the street where they are not only harming themselves, but the people around them. Other critics do not believe in this view. The shooting at Westside Middle School was done by Mitchell Johnson and Andrew Golden. Johnson did come from a dysfunctional family, but Golden on the other hand had an average family. He came from the typical hardworking, American family; financially stable, two-parented household, with love and encouragement everywhere. But this did not deter him from going on a shooting spree.

As you can see, many factors may lead to a child becoming more violent, from video games to music to household influences. Children need to be watched and have some supervision on what is going into their noggin and how they relate to the outside world.