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Dagmar Kopcanova, Ph.D., Slovakia
„Children and young people make up a great part of
the population in most parts of the world. Whereas the number of young
people in the wealthy countries of the world today decline in the coming
decade, the number of young people in developing countries is steadily
increasing. In these countries young people will make up half the population
in the year 2000.
What kind of society will these children grow up
in ? "
(In: Ulla Carlsson and Cecilia von Feilitzen, Children
Media Violence. Yearbook from the UNESCO international clearinghouse on
Children And Violence on the Screen, 1998 )
Media violence as one of the sources of societal violence
The results of the UNESCO global study on media violence
which was conducted between 1996 and 1997 as a joint research project by
the World organisation of the Scout Movement and Utrecht University under
the scientist supervision of Prof. Dr. Jo Groebel. It is the largest ever
intercultural study on the role of media violence for children with a total
of more than 5,000 pupils from 23 different countries all over the world
participating. Violence has always been an element of fiction and news
reporting. It can not be exclude from any media coverage. However, its
extent, extremeness and reward characteristic are the problem.
Draft of content
Television can have both positive and negative the on-off
button at will, it can be a very useful addition to your life. If not,
it can be dangerous drug. It is an integral part of our modern world for
better or worse, but we must learn how to use it properly.
Lot of issues mentioned below were and are considered
on national level. But there is a need to consider them on international
level due globalisation.
*What does violence on network television mean ?
*Does the way violence is portrayed lead viewers to regard
violence as a disgusting
behaviour that unnecessarily harms others while punishing
the perpetrator ?
*Does the context lead viewers to want to imitate those
acts ?
*What can policy makers do to change the practices of
producers to present violence in such a negative context?
*Which role do the media and in particular TV play in
the lives of children on a global level?
*Why are children fascinated by media violence ?
*What is the relationship between media violence and
aggressive behaviour among children ?
*Are there cultural as well as gender differences in
the media impact on aggression ?
*How do violent environments /War/crime/ on the one hand
and the state of technological development on the other influence the coping
with aggressive media content ?
*Can TV really destroy relationship within the family
? Do you think television is bad for children ?
*Does existing research provide help and advise to produce
programmes of quality ?
*What do we know from existing research on children and
violence on the screen ?
*What does research focused on children and violence
on television does not question at all or does not question enough ?
*What are the ways in which children perceive and make
sense of television violence ?
(central concern in this respect is sometimes not with
the behavioural effects f television violence, but with the ways of perceiving
– In: David Buckingham, Manchester University press, 1996,Moving images
Understanding children’s emotional responses to television, Manchester
University Press 1996 )
*What kind of research ? What perspectives for co-operative
research ?
What can be done in this situation ?
One way to create solution to this problem, two groups
will have to become enlightened as to these issues and will have to
act :
a/ the people who create programmes and broadcast (or
disseminate) this material.
b/ parents and those who take care on children to concern
what the children see and how they learn from that exposure
The debate how we can protect children from the harmful
effects of violence on television has intensified recently three major
proposals :
a/to install a V- chip into all new television so that
parents can program their sets
b/ to require television programmers to display a violence
rating for each program
c/ to limit the showing of violent programs to" safe
harbours" – when children are not viewing
On an international level three major strategies were proposed :
1.Public debate and „common ground " talks between the
FIVE Ps : Politicians, Producers, Pedagogy, Parents, and the future Consumers
(active consumers ).
2.The development of codes of conduct and self-control
among media professionals.
3.Establishment of media education to create competent
and critical media users.
TV Media protection counselling
Think globally, act locally.
The Council of Slovak Republic for radio and television
broadcasting had organised a seminar on the possibilities of reducing of
gratuitous violence and other harmful contents in radio and television
broadcasting.
The event held on June 17, 1998 was aimed in bringing
together broadcasters, regulators, parents, teachers, and other representatives
of public to show the problem from different point of view. The impact
has been put on possible legislative changes involved into new draft of
Act o Broadcasting and issues of self-regulation of the broadcasters. Both
should led ii the future in identifying television programme items / movies,
serials, series, cartoon and documents/ in relation to minors age suitability.
The results of interesting inquiries were presented too.
In the first investigation more than forty volunteers
were asked by the Council to watch and then classify 7 different episodes
of different serials. Those episodes were broadcast on four screens
of Slovak broadcaster within period from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m.(the watershed
is at 10 p.m. )
The appearance of sex, nudity, violence and dirty language
in different „quality" and the context of used violence acts and their
consequences were to determinate the classification into 5 categories./Based
on French system of signing./According submitted scheme of classification
not even one episode was classified into first-universal category. Two
episodes from series Blue Dogs (country of origin Australia ) and the Passions
(Italy ) were considered as not suitable for children under seven years
.
Four episodes from USA series : Models, Xena, Blue Pacific
and Airwolf were seen as not suitable for children under 12 and the episode
from discussed serial Xfiles has been classified into fourth category-
not suitable for children under 15 years.
Moreover volunteers were inquired on their attitude on
the influence of media violence. More than 85 % of volunteers agreed with
the statement that violence on the screen can negatively influence emotional
well-being, behaviour, and partially even psychological, moral and physical
development of children. All participants were convinced that television
programmes should be signed in relation to age suitability.
Second investigation was carried out by professional
agency MVK. The size of polled sample was 1 200 and the set of respondents
was statistically balanced. Respondents were asked the same questions as
volunteers- and the aim was to find out their attitude to violence and
other harmful content on the screen in relation with possible influence
on children. More than 83% of respondents complied with the statement that
violence on screen can negatively influence emotional well being, behaviour
and partially even psychological, moral and physical development minors.
More than 64% of respondents are convicted that programmes should be
signed in relation to age suitability. Only 2% of respondents think that
such policy is the censorship.
Commonly agreed classification and rating system should
represent a logical, transparent and internally compact system, part of
media education system. Classification and rating of TV programmes should
be than considered as „TV media protection counselling."
We are aware that counselling is meant more as individual
communication between client and counsellor from point to point.
Such mass communication – counselling from point to
multiunit in question what to see and what not to see via television screen
can be considered as a special form of counselling.
The last European regulation initiative by this time
is an amended of the Directive: „Television without Frontiers" which is
the basic European Union document in the field of TV broadcasting. Directive
contents special Chapter the complete text of which reads like this:
Protection of minors and public order / Article 22