Media Violence: Has Television Crossed the Line?

By Michelle Giametta on 06/15/2009

In today's media environment notions of violence, sex and money seem to have saturated our television programming. The rampant use of this kind of risqué content is crucial for the survival of most, if not all, television programs. If networks desire to stay on top they have to be able to compete with all of the other explicit television programs already out there. What does this violent and rated-R content mean for the youth of America?

As the American Psychiatric Association sates, "...people who watch a lot of television are more likely than those who watch less to see the world as being violent and overestimate their chance of being involved in violence." Society's view of reality is being distorted through television shows. This misrepresentation of reality can be seen in programming like the CW's One Tree Hill.

One Tree Hill started out like any normal teenage program. It was based around the struggles of high school and the pettiness that goes along with growing up. However, as the series continues to progress, the storylines have intensified. In six short seasons the producers and writers have managed to form plots around physical abuse, murder, stalking, teen pregnancy, kidnapping, torture, and even a school shooting. Keep in mind that this show airs during primetime television jumping back and forth from the eight o'clock spot to the nine o'clock spot over the course of the series. This highly watched time slot, while late enough to avoid most young children is still widely watched by the 12-18 demographic.

According to the Parents Television Council, "TV violence has become a paradox of sorts. Medical and social science have proven conclusively that children are adversely affected by exposure to it... Despite the widespread consensus that TV violence is a significant problem, it has become not only more frequent, but more graphic in recent years."

While television shows like One Tree Hill attempt to stay relevant by focusing on real issues, they are misleading their viewers. It isn't typical that the TV characters we have come to identify with could actually experience so many of these issues personally and directly. Sometimes a character goes through so many emotionally charged incidents that we are led to believe that this person can carry on normally. Yet in actuality if one person had experienced the same amount of traumatizing events they would need intensive psychiatric care.

If advertisers and other influential participators put enough pressure on broadcasters to reduce their violent and sexual content, would TV violence significantly decrease? Viewers have become desensitized to this type of violent and R-rated programming. Will television programs even continue to prosper if this controversial content was toned down and television shows were forced to illustrate scenarios more closely in line with reality?

Video Supplement by Colin J Miller

[Additional Photos: "Dying to Entertain," The Parents Television Council, 1998-2006; "One Tree Hill," Season 6, The CW, 2009]