Should the government limit violence shown in media?

 


I was reading an article by F. Brady, published by the U.S. Department of Justice: Office of Justice Programs called Should the Government Regulate Violence in the Media?. Brady mentioned the idea of if it is the government's responsibility to regulate the amount of violence shown in media. He said that how children are influenced by violence in the media needs to be shown as a child protection and health care issue. This reminded me of the issue that books don't have a rating system. If violence in media is leading to less pro-social behaviors in children and possibly even increased violence in children and adolescents, then is it the responsibility of the government to regulate what is shown in media? Is it an issue of free speech or is the mental and physical health of children more important? Let me know your thoughts!

Comments

  1. Kathryn SivleyFebruary 15, 2024 at 6:24 PM

    You bring up such important issues here, I totally think that whatever we invite into our homes, good or bad, can have the largest effects on the development of the children living in that home. I do think there needs to be some kind of rating system for books because of this! Ratings on books does not necessarily make any content illegal, it just makes it harder for little hands to get to, and that does not come close to any free speech laws.

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  2. AveryFebruary 17, 2024 at 1:17 PM

    I think that these are some great points. In response to your question, I do not think ratings are an infringement on free speech. You can say whatever or write whatever you want, you just have to deal with whatever rating category you get put in as a result of that. And if the rating you received for your media is not appropriate for children, then so be it. Maybe you should be marketing to a different age group if what you want to produce is not appropriate for children.

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