Saturday, June 13, 2009

Sepideh Shahverdi: Teen Violence

Nowadays, teen violence is very common; it is typical to hear about teens

fighting, stabbing, and shooting on the news. A sixteen-year-old boy, for example,

carried a gun to his school, and killed and injured some of his peers. What do teens

commit crimes for? Do they understand the danger they are causing to themselves

and others? What makes teens turn to violence? How can their environments affect

on them? There are several causes responsible for teen violence.



Parents have the most responsibility for teen violence. Firstly, parents’ violence

has serious effects on teens. Teens are hurt due to seeing or hearing parents’

violence; therefore, any physical or verbal violence such as hitting, pushing, and

even shouting has an impact on teens. Secondly, parents are role models for their

children, and they must raise their children in a happy family. As a consequence of

divorce, teens become more aggressive and violent. Besides, the lack of love and

attention in the family is another factor that causes violence.



Also, media is to blame for teen violence. Firstly, media violence leads teen to

behave more violence. In fact, watching murder and mayhem on media has a

strong influence on teens; they are persuaded to hit others. Secondly, media guides

teens’ behaviors. Teens always want to imitate the actions of media heroes;

moreover, they learn to use violence as the method of solving problems.

In conclusion both cruel parents and raunchy programs can cause teen violence.

How can teens be protected from violence? Parents need to protect them by

prevention programs; for instance, they can raise teens’ awareness about the results

of violence. Furthermore, teaching them to find an appropriate way to express their

anger and helping them to develop their sense of responsibility and self control

could be useful ways to prevent violence.

No comments: