Many people claim that the government should limit the amount violence shown in films and on television to reduce crime levels in society. This opinion is based on the belief that exposure to violent media directly leads to aggressive behaviour in real life. However, I strongly disagree with this view, as such regulation would be ineffective and would not tackle the true causes of violent crime.
The primary reason that government’s actions directed on violence limitation are not worthwhile is that films and television are not the main causes of violent crime cases. The Internet is the main culprit of increased crime levels, because it is the biggest challenge for controlling information that governments do not want people to be aware of. For example, young people know how to use proxy servers, create fake accounts, and sneak on their parents’ computers, so there is no limitation for them to possess boundless information including violence. Therefore, it might be a waste of time and resources for the government, as it seems hopeless to stop the creation of violent programmes, because they are widespread all over the internet.
Another significant argument is that humans are innately violent, so it is more safe to watch violent scenes in fiction rather than seeking for it in real life. Throughout history, people went to gladiator fights to watch people die for freedom which highlights that humanity was always keen on violence. In addition, it is not possible for the government to regulate fictional violence as they are not restricting the violence that is provided to citizens by sporting events. For instance, sports like boxing, MMA, grappling, and football require violence for the win and celebrate aggressive behaviour in front of thousands of fans. That is why when there are external sources of violence, it is not advisable for governments to limit the violence and destructive behaviour in films and tv.
To sum up, although some believe that restricting violent content in films and television would lower crime rates, this approach oversimplifies the roots of aggressive behavior. Violence in society is driven more by human nature, social factors, and unrestricted online content than by fictional media alone. Therefore, government censorship on screen violence would have limited impact and is unlikely to produce a meaningful reduction in real-world crime.