Violence, values, and the electronic media environment

Abstract

This article originated as a contribution to informed debate on public policy issues surrounding a review of New Zealand broadcasting policy. The issue, however, has implications well beyond the New Zealand market. Public debate on broadcasting has frequently centered on calls to: improve the quality of programming overall; improve children’s programming in particular; and ban advertising in children’s television programmes. This narrow focus ignores the impact of the wider viewing environment. A major focus of this article is on the potential detrimental effects on children of exposure to violence and negative values in the electronic media environment. The literature relating to this is reviewed; the presumed linkages between exposure to violence and the propensity for children to act aggressively are examined; the findings of a study of parental perceptions regarding the impact of violence and of negative values on their children are then reported. Concludes with a discussion of the role of marketing communication in this environment.