Teen Violence: How Does It Affect Our Children?

Teen Violence: How Does It Affect Our Children?

For generations children have mocked what they see others around them doing. It is no different when they see violence on television or even video games. Many children are watching television and playing video games without supervision of an adult so only to have their own minds to interpret what they see. I will identify the different reasons as to why I think teen violence should be a major topic of discussion between parents and their children. Teens are becoming the violence on television as we see through things such as school shootings. Children’s exposure to violence has proven to affect their behavior as well as what type of adult they become. Reality and television is a fine line that children and teens can not and should not draw by themselves. Many of today’s youth have access to video games that show violence as a form of entertainment. Entertainment for our children is now things such as car chases and shoot outs? I will explain these topics and more in detail.

Looking back at the late 1900’s, it seemed as if an epidemic had hit American schools. Children were somehow acquiring guns and ammunition, and then going to their schools to kill teachers and students. Various cultural influences were targeted for blame, as did the influences of cults like Satanism, but all along these blames were no longer to blame. School administrators, parents, and other students should become more aware of the number of triggers that might lead another student to commit a violent act in school. Examples of these are as follows: Dublane Primary School, March 13th, 1996, Scotland 16 students killed, 11 wounded; West Paducah High School, December 1, 1997, Kentucky, 2 students killed, 5 wounded; Jonesboro Middle School, March 25, 1998, Arkansas, 4 students killed, 10 wounded; Columbine High School, April 20, 1999, Colorado, 12 students killed, 1 teacher, and 24 wounded. How are we letting this happen to our children? Every student has his or her own personality, but also hides most of their emotions. If these emotions are not visible to the eye it may be easier for others to say or do things that can trigger a violent action.

Personality conflicts with teachers or other students can cause these violent moods in a student. Probably being the most frequent and apparent cause, students are not aware of others that may have significant personal factors brought with them to school causing a person to snap if agitated. Although, personality is affected by both heredity and environment, personality disorders are, by definition, learning disorders. When a student has failed to learn appropriate and effective behavioral responses to some or several typical life frustrations, the outcome can become very violent. Peer groups at schools also have an important effect on the child’s personality and how he or she is treated by a peer group can have an adverse effect on his or her personality as well. Peers can often be quite unfeeling when they make comments to other students that are negative or derogatory. This all can cause a student to become a lone or gravitate toward other students who they perceive to mistreated or have a personality clash. Dealing with students with personality disorders or dimensions can be quite challenging. Understanding the concept of the four basic dimensions can help educate other students to become more aware of these conditions.

Conduct disorders seem to add to children’s problems these days along with personality dimensions. There seem to be some children who are indifferent to the rights of others, demonstrating reckless behavior such as setting fires, jumping off roofs, or some type of cruel behavior such as cruelty to animals, can be sign of a conduct disorder. Aggression against people or animals can be considered as bullying or even fight instigators. Vandalizing property or even destruction of property is another sign of

Conduct disorder. These are disorders that need attention and yet get over-looked. Other symptoms that children have that also over-looked are abusive parents, stress, inept parents, lack of conflict resolution skills, media influence, substance abuse, and mental disorders, Children face a lot these days and some parents don’t have the time to stop and talk to their children. Understanding these problems and talking to our children may help prevent further violence in our schools.

When dealing with school violence one of the most effective ways to prevent violence in the school house is through peer education programs. Peer education programs are used to prevent conflict and resolve resolution in at risk school males. During this period of time teenagers are shown how devastating violence in the real world can become and how overwhelming it can become in a major city. There are many barriers in the system that is preventing