Effects of Media Violence on Children Children today are surrounded by technology and entertainment filled with violence. It is estimated that the average child watches three to five hours of television a day! Listening to music is also a time-consuming pastime among children. With all this exposure, you might wonder, "How can seeing so much violence on television and in video games and hearing about violence in music affect a child's behavior?" Obviously these media have a great influence on children's behavior: we can see it in the way they try to emulate their favorite rock stars by dressing in a similar style and in the way children play, imitating their favorite cartoon characters or superheroes . Studies have shown that prolonged television viewing can be associated with "aggressive behavior, poor academic performance, early sexuality, obesity, and drug or alcohol use." Television, video games and music have a great influence and if children are allowed to watch, play or listen to too much violence, this can influence their attitudes in a negative direction. Music Music is an important part of children's lives, especially as children age and enter adolescence. We can see how influential rock stars are just by looking at today's children: they dress and sometimes try to act just like their idols. Music can be very powerful, and numerous stories have appeared in the news of teenagers attempting suicide or committing crimes and then blaming song lyrics. Maybe music itself isn't such an influential agent, but artists are, and if they behave disgracefully, many kids will try to be like them. For example, they rep...... middle of paper ......ose video games and programs that improve their children's learning. As you can see, each of these media has a strong influence on the lives and behavior of children, but whether this influence is positive or negative depends on the artist, TV star or creator of the program. Conclusion In conclusion, television, music and video games are all fun and sometimes educational things for children. However, these media can have a bad influence on children, depending on the content. Children are extremely impressionable, and if they are exposed to violent television, music, or video games, they will begin to emulate that show, artist, song, or video game with their behavior. They are all so powerful that they should be used to teach children how to solve problems and help them expand their minds, not show them how to kill someone or teach them other violent behaviors..