In the last decade or two, a lot of people have looked at the misbehavior and aggressiveness of children, and have blamed it on the media. The media has usually consisted of what's on television, some of which is considered violent, but it's lately expanded to include video games as well. Violent rampages, such as Columbine, were blamed partly on video games.
But now, in an expansive, multi-year study that was just released, it's revealed that childhood aggression is a genetic trait. It has nothing to do with television or games. It's been going on long before television. Richard Tremblay, the scientist who did the study, added that maternal factors that occur when the fetus is being developed (such as drinking and smoking) could be responsible for a child's aggressive behavior.
This study tracked over 35,000 children for more than 20 years. It's certainly far more reputable than the rantings of anti-game crusaders or government officials who want to do the parents' job for them. As anyone with any common sense would know, it's the nature of any child to show aggressive behavior at least sometimes. This is the case, video games or not. I think this is linked to how teachers in public school react to an active child. They always want to put him or her on Ritalin or some other drug. Parents just can't let kids be kids anymore.
No comments:
Post a Comment