Media Violence and Its EffectsThe lives of our youth are being ruined because of today's media violence. This is the opinion shared by many people in our society today. Many psychologists believe that violence in television, movies, and other media has a negative effect on children, while others believe that media violence has no effect on children. The reality is that children also tend to imitate the behavior they see in the media they are exposed to. The media can have a powerful influence on impressionable young children. Their mind is like a sponge, absorbing everything they are exposed to. Their feelings and emotions become more imminent as they begin to move through adolescence; children often acquire the capacity for aggression, sadness, and happiness more easily during this stage. Albert Bandura, a psychologist who is interested in child development, used his Bobo doll experiment to prove that when a child watches large amounts of violent media, they are more likely to display violent behavior. Media violence affects children's behavior by cultivating fearful attitudes, desensitizing them, and causing an increase in unrealistic worldviews. Albert Bandura conducted his experiment to prove that violent media has an effect on a child's violent behavior. The experiment was called the Bobo Doll Experiment, where children watched a video of an adult violently hitting a doll named Bobo. “Later, the children had the opportunity to play with the Bobo doll themselves and, of course, most displayed the same kind of behavior. behavior, in some cases imitating aggressive behavior almost identically” (Feldman, 2010, p. 185-186). Bandura is correct in his theory that media violence has a profound effect on behavior...... middle of article ......i:10.1542/peds.2009-2145.8. Ray, L. (October 21, 2013). How violence in TV shows desensitizes children. Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/245373-how-violence-in-television-shows-desensitizes-children/9. Sorrentino, J. (April 3, 2008). Could geographic location affect your child’s well-being? Education.com. Retrieved from http://www.education.com/magazine/article/Could_ Geographic_Location_Affect/10. Tull, Matthew. (November 6, 2008). Did media coverage of 9/11 increase the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder in children? Retrieved from: http://ptsd.about.com/od/infoforfriendsfamily/a/Children_Sept 11.htm11. Wilson, Barbara, S. (2008). Aggression, fear and altruism of the media and children. Children and Electronic Media, 18 (1). Retrieved from http://futureofchildren.org/publications/journals/article/index.xml?journalid=32&articleid=58§ionid=268