Raising children in the age of violent media

The recent school shooting in Tacloban involving minors, along with the stabbing incident among elementary schoolchildren in Cavite, has raised anew troubling questions about youth violence in the Philippines.

- FORMER SENATOR JOEY D. LINA

What drives children and teenagers to commit such horrific acts? Do violent online games and social media content play a vital role? Does watching violent television shows make young people more violent?

There is no single answer, but the need to examine every possible influence on young minds, including the media they consume every day, has become imperative.

For years, psychologists have debated whether violent TV shows, online games, and social media content contribute to aggressive behavior among young people. The answer is not a simple yes or no.

Children do not become violent just because they watch a TV action series, play a shooting game, or scroll through graphic videos online. Poverty, broken families, bullying, gang influence, substance abuse, mental health problems, and child abuse all play major roles. Yet decades of research also show that repeated exposure to violent media should not be dismissed as harmless.

One of the most formative stages of life is adolescence, a period when young people are still developing their values, personalities, and sense of right and wrong. During these years, they learn not only from parents and teachers but also from celebrities, fictional heroes, online influencers, television, streaming platforms, and social media.

Yet instead of asking whether violent media causes violence, the more nuanced question is: How does repeated exposure to violent media shape the way young people think about violence?

Canadian-American psychologist Albert Bandura demonstrated through his famous Bobo doll experiments that children often learn by observing others. Subsequent research has reinforced this principle.