These days, violence in the media is becoming more common. While some people argue that television programmes and computer games have harmful effects on people’s behaviour, others believe that it mainly depends on a person’s character. I believe that the media cannot have a significant impact on people’s behaviour.
Firstly, I think that people’s behaviour largely depends on the environment in which they grow up. If they are brought up with the right principles, they can easily distinguish right from wrong. Parents, teachers and friends all play a significant role in shaping a person’s character and behaviour. For instance, a group of friends may watch the same violent film, but they will not all react in the same way. Some of them will understand that violence is wrong because they were raised with good values, while others may think it is normal due to the way they were brought up. Therefore, I believe that personal characteristics and upbringing are much more important than the media people watch.
Another reason why I believe that the media does not have a great influence on people’s behaviour is that mentally healthy people understand that violent films are created only for entertainment. For example, many people enjoy watching action or horror films, but they still have a clear understanding of what is right and wrong. They realise that what they see on the screen is different from real life. As a result, watching violent films does not necessarily affect their behaviour because they do not consider violence to be acceptable.
To conclude, although many people believe that violence in the media has a negative effect on people’s behaviour, I do not think there is enough evidence to prove that it is the main cause of violent actions. In my opinion, people’s behaviour is influenced much more by their upbringing and personal characteristics.