Purpose of the study

The main purpose of this study is to examine the linkage between the violent behaviour among youth in today’s society and the internet plus other media. As technology advances and internet resources spreading all over the world, the young generation is getting exposure to online violence and media aggressiveness. This has made them potentially vulnerable to negative experiences online and on the media. Its of great importance for parents and the authority to   understand the internet violence exposures and factors related to the influence of youth violent behaviours. This report will primarily investigate the association involving internet with the changing behaviour among youth in the society.

Literature Review

Violence among youth is an important social issue that has affected individuals, families and the community as whole in a negative manner. Approximations of indirect and direct costs associated with youth violence in the United States of America have hit a value of more than $150billion annually. In 2003 alone, about 15 % of the violent crime victims arrested in the United States were as result of juvenile cases.Research carried out on  the development of aggressive behaviour and violence  shows that serious crimes occurs through a union of factors that comprises of poor performance in school, genetic factors, peer pressure, poor parent-child relationships and the community/neighbours violence. Youth exposure to the internet and the media cannot be singled out as the prior reason for youth violence today but it’s probably the solitary most easily remediable contributing aspect. After a comprehensive investigation of the existing research, researchers have made a conclusion that the scientific discussion over the media violence adds up to violence and aggression is essentially over. The research underscored the necessity for studies indicating the magnitude of the effects of media violence on the more intense categories of violence.

More and more youths are increasingly using he internet with little knowledge on how the exposure to online violence shapes their understanding on the influence of violent media. The use of internet is rapidly becoming the telephone of the 21^st century with an approximation of close to 97% youths using online communications. Nearly all young people in the society today have access to the internet .this increase the chances of exposure to online violonce.”Hate pages” is an example of websites that promote discrimination against some specific categories of people. Others include websites that report real violence has the potentiality of impacting cognitive styles that contribute to aggressive retorting among the youth.

Research methodology

Data collection techniques

Most youth in between the age bracket of 18-25 years have been exposed to the internet and media violence during their days of their lives at ultimately all parts of the world. The researcher conducted the study by use of content analysis. This was done using a collection of content material such as magazines news papers journal, books and the internet. Internet surveys were also conducted so as to gather the required   data. Youth respondents were sent invitation requests through an initial e mail-address with random identity using a self created poll online website. Youths were supposed to write short essays responding to the title in the subject matter plus answer some few questions. The response rate was computed as the number of youths who began the research divided by the number of invitations made via the e-mails minus any e-mail requests that were not accepted.Youths who had use internet for at least six months and could read and write English were the required respondents.

• Video and computer games
• Radio and Music
• Websites involving real people
• Websites involving cartoons

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Background variables comprised of;

Individual- Youths were requested to give their age; ethnicity, race, and average hours each spend on the internet, music, television and games.Family- youths were asked about the relationship with their parent or guardians. (Appendix II)School- youths gave estimated of the academic performances and school behaviourPeers-youths gave responses to number of their friends who have committed crimes and haw many of them were arrested as a result of violenceCommunity-respondents were prompted to give the exposure to violence in the community by using various things from the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire.

Methodology

The data collected was analyzed statistically to reflect the population of youth aged between 18-25. This was classified according to gender, age, race/ ethnicity, region, education hours each on the internet. The main reasons as to why the researcher used this approach is because;

• It is relatively  easy to obtain access to the publication or broadcast
• Its   less expensive an easy to build a representative sample
• Content analysis technique produces highly reliable data that is easy to replicate.
• It does not require direct interaction with people affected by the subject being studied.

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Looking at the content of the information gathered from the U.S department of defence the researcher wanted to study the type of behaviours that are mostly reported in the stations. The following information was   the main focus;

• Behaviours likely to result to murder
• Causes of aggravated assaults, robbery, or sexual assault
• The number of youth violence  cases reported in annually

From the magazines, journals, books and emails responded by the youth the researcher wanted to determine how youths get exposed to media and internet violence. The following was being content was aimed at;

• The type of websites frequently visited by the youths.
• The TV programs and music most youth listen to
• the parent/ guardian relations in terms of  parent monitoring ,coerce discipline and the emotional bond when they were growing up

Approximated   relations between online and media violence and influence it causes towards youth being violent was reported.

Analysis

Point estimates and proportions reported were weighted and described as below. As expected in the 48% of the young people who responded to the online survey were males and females of 18-25 years. Family, school, individual, community and peer characteristics of the sample and how they relate in accordance to the concurrent report of adverse violent behaviour are shown in (appendix III)

Exposure to violence online

Out of the youth who responded, the researcher found out that 38% of them were exposed to greater than or equal to one type of violent website;3 % were confirmed to have visited greater than or equal to three types of websites exposures. Cases of youth who have visited websites with serious violent behaviours increased by 50 % .With each increase in the number of types of violence websites visited. Appendix III represents the frequency of exposure to websites containing violent content.

Exposure to online violence in comparison to other media

48% of the youth shown that most, many or all of greater equal to one type of   media asked has contexts of violence. The violent behaviour increased by 64% as the number of several types of media for which youth gave many, most or all exposures were violent (appendix II) shows the frequency at which youth reported exposure to violence in the internet Appendix IV shows the relative odds of adverse aggressive behaviour with several levels of violence exposure.

The link between online violence and violent behaviour

In Appendix IV the relative odds of adverse behaviour with exposure to online violence is depicted.6% of the young people who shown greater that or equal to one type of exposure to online violence  reported adverse  aggression in comparison to  the 4% of the young people with minimal or less exposure to the inter net .8% of the youth who visit websites containing violence contexts such as discrimination ,death war or terrorism reported to have adverse violent behaviour in comparison to 3% of the youths who never or are not exposed to these websites.

Distinctive effects of media related violence in the perspective of other risk Aspects

Several youths who visited websites containing contexts such as people fighting, shooting killings more likely became 5 times violent more than the youths who never visited such websites at all. Taking individuals, family school, peer and the community into characteristics into account, all those exposure to violent media were no significantly related to serious behaviour when underlying.

In this study of 18-25 year old youths, serious adverse violent behaviours such as robbery, sexual assault, shooting and aggravated assaults were associated with the exposure to the media violence.   This relationship is mostly depicted in games, internet, music and from the television. The researcher findings shows that the increasing evidence that most violence is acquired from the media is true and it of great importance to look at the violence prevention. In a broader perspective inter net violence has continuously contributed to violent behaviours amongst youths significantly. Indeed considering all factors such as poor parenting, peer pressure, poor parent child relationship, the internet has contributed mainly in the increment of violence in our community today. Websites containing real people engaging in violence had more influence than websites containing cartoons engaging in violent activities.

Exposure to real violence in the internet that depicts real people is more interactive than any other type of crime exposure has more effect on the youth behaviour. Cartoon is a relatively interactive but do not depict real people. Violence in the television may be realistic but not interactive. This explains why the  internet is the strongest association for promoting crime in our society today since it  a simultaneously interactive environment involving real time  chatting with peers at the same time watching videos. The internet and other emerging Medias such as the play stations deserve extra research on the same context.

Despite these results it should be noted that there is quite a number of youths who have never visited or even heard of these websites containing violent materials. Actually lack of knowledge on the existence  of such websites is quite a protective measure against the aggressive behaviour. Parents and guardians face quite a tough challenge though its duty to make sure their children are not exposed t o these violent media. If the youth mention having heard or visited these websites the parents should make sure that they discus and help them understand the adverse influence they may cause in their lives. They should relate this to the context of the real world situations and talk about the seriousness of the matter in the common life experiences. This will help the youth to  learn and choose what is right.

Other factors leading to violent behaviour among youths reported by the youths as expected included school peer, community and family risk factors. From the findings community   violence exposed many youths to  violence in a  manner associated by  consumption of violence from  the media. This includes television programs and  music unlike the community violence which the parents and guardians cannot control, they have the ability to control exposure to the internet violence the use of software filtering and blocking some sites should be ensured.According to the researchers findings most of the youth gets exposed to online and media violence at a tender age that is from age of five. If the parents do control what their children view at the point it will be very difficult to reverse by the time they are teenager.

Critique of the study

Generally, the media and the internet are very important resources of getting information and knowledge. They have so much to offer to the youthful generation in a way tat if used adequately and in the correct manner young people can gains and benefit in many ways. These two powerful resources tend to increase the cognitive attitudes, values and behaviours of individuals who use them wisely promoting good behaviour as well. Practically, youths use the internet to connect with friends and families express individuality and even access resourceful information in their education. The internet provides a lot of opportunities to the youth some of them are even income generating. For example they can use the internet to post eye catching pictures and videos captures with content that  is valuable and post them to websites that buy such and earn some revenue out  of it. The media too gives the youth a learning experience that enables them to grow physically, spiritually and even emotionally.

Huesmann, L.( 1998) The role of social information processing and cognitive schemas in the acquisition and maintenance of habitual aggressive behaviour, New York: Academic Press;;73–109

Interactive Online methodology, retrieved from www.harrisinteractive.com/partner/methodology.asp,on January 10^th 2010

US Department of Justice, (2000) Crime in the United States, 1999. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, page 12

Anderson, C, Bushman, B,( 2001) Effects of violent video games on aggressive behaviour, aggressive cognition, aggressive affect, physiological arousal, and prosocial behaviour: a meta-analytic review of the scientific literature. Page 122

Violent video games increase aggression and violence. Retrieved from www.psychology.iastate.edu/faculty/caa/abstracts/2000-2004/00Senate.html, on January 11^th ,2010.

Rideout V. Generation Rx.com: How young people use the Internet for health information. Retrieved from  www.kff.org/entmedia/20011211a-index.cfm, on January 10^th 2010

Maenhart, A, Madden, M, Hitlin, P, (2005) Teens and Technology: Youth Are Leading the Transition to a Fully Wired and Mobile Nation. Washington, DC: Pew Internet and American Life Project page 34

Lenhart, A, Madden, (2007) Social Networking Websites and Teens: An Overview. Washington, DC: Pew Internet and American Life Project

Loeber, R, Farrington, DP,( 1998) Serious and Violent Juvenile Offenders: Risk Factors and Successful Interventions. CA: Thousand Oaks, page 23

Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Youth violence: fact sheet, retrieved from www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/yvfacts.htm, on January 11^th 2010.

Appendix 1:

Online research questions

Name:

Gender:

Race/ethnicity:

State:

Have you ever visited the following sites;

a)      Hate websites

b)      Satanic websites

c)      Snuff  websites

d)     Terrorists websites

e)        Pornographic website

How many often do you use the internet?

How often do you use the media?

Mention various television programmes that you watch

What kind of music do you listen to?

Do you play video games? Mention various games that you play.

How well do you relate with your parent/guardians when you were growing up

In a scale of A-F estimate your academic performance in high school or college

Has any of your friend been arrested or committed a serious crime that you found aggressive?

Have you ever witnessed someone commit a crime around your home area?

Appendix II

Reports of Seriously Violent Behaviours (N = 1585)

Appendix III

Violent Behaviour in the Previous Year (N = 1585)

Youths who show violence after the media influence