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Media Violence Desensitization of Ages
5 - 10 Children to Real Life Violence
Nica Vanissa R. Bitang and Micah Althea C. Buenviaje
Miriam College

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Abstract
Children are not spared from the spreading issues of violence around the world,
more so through the media. They get exposed to violence without realizing its effects on
their lives. It is believed that the exposure to media violence desensitizes children to
real life violence. This brought the researchers to study about media violence which can
lead to desensitization to ages 5-10 years old by conducting surveys to the students in
Infant Jesus Academy Marikina, their parents, and the teachers in Miriam College from
the College of Education as experts. The study showed that the student respondents
are not desensitized by their exposure to media violence, however majority of the
teacher respondents from Miriam College thinks that media exposure influences change
in children’s emotions and the tendencies to imitate what they see from media.

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Media Violence Desensitization of Ages 5 - 10 Children to Real Life Violence
“Film is a powerful medium, film is a drug, film is a potential hallucinogen-- it goes
into your eye it goes into your brain, it stimulates and it’s a dangerous thing-- it can be a
very subversive thing.” (Stone as cited in Bushman & Anderson, 2009, p. 273). This
quotation by Stone as cited in Bushman and Anderson states that film or the media can
have a powerful impact on the society, it can serve as a drug which can possibly make
people “comfortably numb” (Floyd as cited in Bushman & Anderson, 2009, p. 273), in
terms of violent media. Therefore, based on Bushman and Anderson (2009), individuals
who get exposed to violent media (ie. gore and blood) will soon be numb to similar
situations or experiences they have seen through media. Thus, this process is known as
desensitization. Desensitization is defined as “a reduction in physiological arousal to
real-life violence; a flattening of affective reactions to violence” (Carnagey, Anderson, &
Bushman, 2006, p. 490). Desensitization is a process, which is more commonly used to
treat phobias, however desensitization in media violence is unintentional since the
individual does not know that he or she is being desensitized to the said stimulus.
According to Anderson, Bushman, & Carnagey (2007), desensitization to individuals
can be modified or altered since individuals tend to disregard insignificant stimuli and
focus on the significant stimuli. This process of desensitization can be induced
intentionally through therapeutic systematic desensitization or it may be done
unintentionally. An example of effective desensitization is the medical students since
they are desensitized to the distressing environment and situations in surgery, which
makes them become successful surgeons. Another example of desensitization is for the

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military troops since they should be desensitized to the awful situations in the battlefield
to become effective in combat. Anderson, Bushman, and Carnagey stated that
desensitization is considered effective due to the field they are in.
Eron (2001) stated that through other means, desensitization may be examined.
An example given by Eron was whenever the respondent does not react accordingly to
a presented stimulus which is needed for the moral evaluation. Because of that, the
moral values of the person will be disregarded along the experiment. Feelings and
attitudes such as sympathy are significant to test the effect of the exposure to violence
among people whether in reality or through media. Slow response of feelings like
empathy towards an incident may be considered as an “emotional desensitization”. On
the other hand, preference of violent media materials and such may be considered as
“cognitive desensitization”. Eron explained and differentiated emotional desensitization
to cognitive desensitization. Therefore, children being exposed to media violence is
under Eron’s definition of cognitive desensitization. An example of desensitization given
by Levine (1996), A mother went to the movies with her two sons, ages 11 and 13. They
went to see a film entitled, Demolition Man. Once the violent and morbid scenes were
shown, the mother began to scream and started to cover her eyes with her hands. Her
sons noticed their mother’s reaction and told her to keep quiet. She noticed that neither
of her sons seemed affected by the scene and told her that it is just a movie. From this
example, the children were clearly desensitized since their initial reaction is supposed to
be similar to the mother, however since they are already desensitized they are already
numb and used to see scenes that are similar to those. The children also said “it is just

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a movie” implies that the movie does not have a strong impact and effect on them since
the children believe that it is just a movie, it can not harm them. From Levine’s example
of desensitization, the researchers wanted to expound and study whether children
become numb by being exposed to violent movies or games but they still know the
difference between the visual experience and reality. Based on Piaget’s (1954) theory of
cognitive development, people adapt to new information through two ways namely
assimilation and accommodation. Assimilation is the process of relating the stored
knowledge to the new one, similar to what happened to the mother in Levine’s example.
On the other hand, accommodation is the process in which children adjust their
knowledge to make way for the new information and experience, similar to how the
children in the example pointed out the difference between the movie and the reality.
They have made adjustments to differentiate the two.
Nowadays, children usually have game consoles, iPads, iPhones, iPods or
tablets where they can play video games, search the internet and watch videos, movies
or television shows. Now that the media has become accessible to all, it is now hard for
parents to control what their child sees on the internet or television. According to Huston
(1992), children ages 8-18 choose to spend more time on the computer, television or
game screens instead of doing other activities. This proves that children are more likely
to engage in said activities which increases the possibility to be exposed to media
violence. However, how do these activities affect the children? How does exposure to
media violence desensitize children to real life violence?
Children are not spared from the spreading issues of violence around the world.

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Action movies and warcraft games may be downloaded or seen from too many sources
which may or may not be known by parents. Mohr (n.d.) stated that the present day
youth are undeniably exposed to varieties of threats and ideologies about wars,
terrorisms, abuses, and the like. He added that children may also learn about wars
through books and through their toys. Moreover, Mohr emphasized that the children
constantly get information about violence through mass media basically on news
reports, movies, radios, televisions and the internet.
The researchers focused on a certain range of ages only because they believe
that it is a significant factor pertaining to the issue of media violence among people.
According to Eisenberg and Fabes’ study (as cited in Krahé, Moller, Huesmann, Kirwil,
Felber and Berger, 2010), the age affects the amount of exposure that children get to
have of violent media materials, as well as its effects. As compared to adolescents,
children are yet in the process of building their personalities, thus they get influenced
easier. Being involved with violence through the media may stay long term and
gradually become a part of the children’s system because they are forming their values
and morals unlike those who are already firm with what they believe in.
Studies made by Anderson, et al and Eron supports the idea that media violence
exposure benefits children through desensitization but there are other studies that
consider the exposure to media violence as a threat. Giraldes (2012) used the words
trash, lies, and brainwashing to pertain to the effects of the media to the people.
Giraldes emphasized that every time people get exposed to media, it may be through
television or newspaper, they have no idea on how much their cognition and behavior

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gets affected. Giraldes described the media as evil and corrupt thus it is dangerous to
the public, especially to the youth, who are mainly the target audience of the media.
However, as stated by Howitt (1973), in the book Children and Television, those families
who give unfavorable comments on media violence are less likely to have an
aggressive child compared to those families who condone media violence in their
homes. Instead of looking at children as if they are always the victim of media exposure,
Nightingale et al (as cited in Livingstone, 2007) stated that children have tendencies to
act out what they have witnessed in a movie for self-satisfaction and to get themselves
entertained. At times, it is also to deal with the happenings in their environment. Their
reaction after watching such media resources may or may not be the majority caused by
the material itself. Other factors like childhood experiences and family relationships may
greatly contribute to the behavior that they have shown (Nightingale, Dickenson, & Griff,
2000).
Desensitization of media violence to children has been studied numerous times,
however these studies usually contradict or are against the process of desensitizing
children to media violence. Most of these studies believe that desensitization has a lot
of negative effects not only to children but to an individual as well. According to the
study of Bushman & Anderson (2009), one negative effect of desensitization is it may
make an individual less helpful to those people in need. In Bushman and Andersons’
study, they tested 2 individuals who were exposed and not exposed to a violent video
game for 20 minutes. After playing the game, they answered a questionnaire given by
the researchers, after a few minutes they heard a loud fight wherein one person was

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injured. Here, participants were tested who would take a longer time to help the injured
victim. It turned out that the individual exposed to the violent video game for 20 minutes
took longer to help the injured victim compared to the individual who was not exposed.
Another study conducted by Funk, Baldacci, Pasold, & Baumgardner (2004) stated that
“exposure to violence has been implicated one use of subsequent aggression and
violence: It is believed that repeated exposure to real-life and to entertainment violence
may alter cognitive, affective and behavioral processes” (Funk, Baldacci, Pasold, &
Baumgardner, 2004, p. 23). This study conducted by Funk, Baldacci, Pasold, &
Baumgardner states that the process of desensitization can affect and alter the
cognitive, affective and behavioral processes of an individual. Based on Bushman and
Anderson’s study, they made a model or a diagram that shows the effects of being
exposed to violent media. It shows the effects in an individual’s cognitive, affective and
behavioral processes after being desensitized.

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These two studies have a similar stand regarding desensitization, it can affect one’s
way of thinking and acting towards those who are in need. Although these studies state
that desensitization has numerous negative effects to the child and individual, the
researchers would still want to prove that desensitization also has a positive effect on
the child.
This research on desensitization of media violence to children ages 5-10 intends
to answer the following questions:
1. How does exposure to media violence (television shows, movies, Internet and
video games) affect children ages 5-10?

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2. How does exposure to media violence lead to desensitization to children as
perceived by: a.) Children b.) Parents and c.) Experts?
Also, this study’s main objective is to identify the effects of children’s exposure to
media violence. Specifically, it aims to:
1. Identify the effects of exposure to media violence which can lead to
desensitization to children ages 5-10 years old as perceived by the students in
Infant Jesus Academy Marikina.
2. Identify the effects of exposure to media violence which can lead to
desensitization to children ages 5-10 years old according to the view of the
parents of Infant Jesus Academy Marikina students.
3. Identify the effects of exposure to media violence which can lead to
desensitization to children ages 5-10 years old as perceived by the teachers in
Miriam College from College of Education as experts.
This research paper, which focuses on the desensitization of children after being
exposed to media violence, seeks to gather information on how children would react to
a real-life incident after watching a movie that depicts violence or after playing a
warcraft game on the internet. Surveys will be conducted among children ages 5 to 10
years old, parents and teachers. This study is limited to the students of Infant Jesus
Academy Marikina, parents of Infant Jesus Academy Marikina students, and Miriam
College teachers from the College of Education as experts.
This research about the effects of media violence to children ages 5 to 10 years

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old will be beneficial to parents, children, students, teachers and the researchers,
themselves. The result of the study will provide information to parents on how media
violence could affect children. It would give them an idea on how much exposure to
media violence should they let their child have in order to prevent the negative effects if
there are. Thus, it benefits the children too. It may also serve as a basis for students
and teachers who would also conduct further research about mass media and other
related topics. Because of this study, the researchers were able to widen their skills and
knowledge about the topic, practice the value of cooperation, perseverance, and
time-management. Also, since the researchers’ course is aligned with the focus of this
study, it became a way for them to discover more about children’s behaviors.
Therefore, this study will help the researchers understand that exposure to media
violence such as television shows, movies, video games and the internet may or may
not desensitize children ages 5-10 years old to real life violence.
Methods
Participants
The participants involved were divided into three groups: students of Infant Jesus
Academy Marikina, the parents of the students involved and the experts who are
professors from the Department of Education in Miriam College.
50 elementary students from Infant Jesus Academy Marikina were asked to
answer the questionnaire. The respondents’ age range from five to ten years old. The
aforementioned school is located in the residential community of Rancho Estate,

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bounded by SSS Village in Marikina City. There were 25 boys and 25 girls from grades
1 to 5 , with an average age of 8, who answered the surveys.
50 parents of the Infant Jesus Academy Marikina students were also requested
to answer a different survey. The requirement for being a participant in this survey is
that one must have a child in the aforementioned school.
As experts, Miriam College professors from the College of Education department
were asked to answer a prepared questionnaire. All the 24 faculty members of the said
department, including the dean, were asked to participate in answering the survey.
Research Design
The data gathered in this research are both qualitative and quantitative data.
Qualitative data is used since the researchers conducted a survey to the faculty
members of the College of Education in Miriam College. The survey given requires the
respondents to answer in sentences or in essay form, thus the results of the survey
conducted was done through taking note of the trend of each professor’s answer to
each question. The data gathered for this research is also considered as quantitative
data since the questionnaires given to the participants, both students and parents from
Infant Jesus Academy Marikina, have choices wherein they just checked or ticked
choice or answer that applies to them. The results in this survey was done by tallying
and counting the respondent’s answers. The survey given to the students was
considered quantitative data since it is focused on whether children can be desensitized
by media violence.

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Measures
The researchers prepared three different surveys for the different participants.
The first survey, which consists of 6 questions about media, media violence and their
exposure to these were answered by 50 students (25 girls and 25 boys) ages 5-10 from
Infant Jesus Academy Marikina. The second survey consists of 5 questions which have
similar content to the first survey, and is addressed to 50 parents of the students. The
third survey, which consists of 4 questions also with similar content but in essay form,
were filled up by the College of Education faculty members.
Procedure
The researchers first asked permission from the administrators of Infant Jesus
Academy Marikina through a letter approved and countersigned by the professor. Upon
the approval of the administrators, the researchers brought the surveys to the office and
left it there to be distributed by the teachers. Included in the letter is the date when the
researchers will go back to the school to get the answered questionnaires for the
students and parents. A week after, the researchers were able to collect 40 answered
surveys out of 50 from the students but the surveys for the parents were not given back.
They decided not to include the surveys for the parents anymore because of this
incident.
The researchers also asked approval from the College of Education office to
conduct surveys to its faculty members. The dean was not in the office so they talked to

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the officer in charge and explained what the research is all about. They were asked to
provide a cover letter for each survey before it could be distributed to the respondents.
Upon attaching the cover letters, the survey questionnaires were put one by one in the
teachers’ cubby holes inside the office of the department. The date when the
researchers will be getting the surveys back is included in the cover letters. They went
back to the office a day after the deadline but not all the teachers have returned the
surveys yet. They were able to get only three answered surveys. Within the week, they
were able to get 15 surveys from the teachers.
All in all, the researchers were able to collect 40 surveys from the students of
Infant Jesus Academy and 15 surveys from the teachers in the College of Education
department of Miriam College. The parents are not included in the study anymore
because they failed to return the surveys within the allotted deadline of data gathering.
Upon reaching enough data from the respondents, the researchers started tallying the
results to look for the trend of answers for both the quantitative and the qualitative
information.
Results and Discussions
Media Violence Desensitization of Children Ages 5 - 10 to Real Life Violence as
Perceived by the Students from Infant Jesus Academy Marikina
Figure 1
Media Materials that Children Get Exposed to
Material Answers of the Respondents Percent out of 40
respondents
Cellphone 18 45

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Television 26 65
Internet 24 60
Ipad 7 17
PSP 4 10
DS 1 2.6
Figure 1 shows that from the 40 respondents, 26 children get exposed to media
by the television, 24 of the children use the internet, 18 use cell phones, 7 use Ipads, 4
use PSPs and 1 of them answered that he uses DS.
Majority (65%) of the children are exposed to the media through television.
Boyse (2011) stated in his article about television and children, that “kids ages 6-11
spend about 28 hours a week in front of the TV. The vast majority of this viewing (97%)
is of live TV”. (Boyse, 2011,​ ​para. 1​)
Each respondent chose at least one of the media resources stated and even
cited their own answers. Based on their responses, 40 out of 40 (100%) children are
exposed to media through different resources namely the TV, internet, cellular phone,
Ipad, PSP and DS.
Figure 2
Average Hours of Children being Exposed to Media Resources

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Figure 2 shows that out of the 40 respondents, 92% of the children ages 5 to 10
are exposed to media by the range of 1 to 5 hours a day. 5% of them use media from 5
to 10 hours and 3% use media from 16 to 20 hours. None of the respondents answered
if they use any media material from 11 to 15 hours or 20 or more hours in a day.
Majority (92%) of the respondents spend 1 to 5 hours watching TV, surfing the
net, and playing video games in a day. Rideout (2007) found through a Kaiser Family
Foundation survey that ​kids and teens 8 to 18 years old get exposed to different media
materials nearly 6 hours in a day. This already includes television watching which
reaches a maximum of 4 hours, video game playing and computer usage up to 2 hours
but does not yet include the educational media exposure. These results are more than
the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) that those older than
2 years old should not exceed 2 hours of media exposure in a day but should be
interacting with people and doing other things like reading instead.
Figure 3
Awareness of the Children about Desensitization of Children to Real Life Violence due
to Media Violence Exposure

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Figure 3 shows that 57% of the students are aware that they may get
desensitized to real life violence due to media violence exposure while 43% of the
children were not.
Figure 3.1
Trends on the Awareness of Children about Desensitization Due to Media Violence
Exposure​: ​Respondents Who Answered Yes
Reasons Respondents Percent
Some movies or TV shows
show violent scenes
10 67
They see it in the internet
or social networking sites,
movies and television
5 33
No answer 8 -
TOTAL 23 57.5
Figure 3.1 shows the trend on the respondents who answered yes were some
movies or TV shows show violent scenes, they see it in the internet or social networking

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sites, movies and television and no answer. 10 of the respondents answered, they are
aware that they can be exposed to media violence since some movies or TV shows
show violent scenes and it can affect their values. Rianna, a grade 4 student who is 9
years old said that the media is too violent and it can affect one’s belief and values as
well. On the other hand, 5 of the respondents said that they are aware that they can be
exposed to media violence because they see it on the internet or social networking sites
such as Facebook, movies and on television. Danica, a grade 2 student who is 7 years
old said she is aware of being exposed to media violence since she always sees her
dad watch violent shows or movies. While 8 of the respondents did not answer or give a
reason why they are aware.
Figure 3.2
Trends on the Awareness of Children about Desensitization Due to Media Violence
Exposure​: ​Respondents Who Answered No
Reasons Respondents Percent
They do not watch violent
shows or movies on TV
8 73
They are always reminded
by their parents
3 27
No answer 6 -
TOTAL 17 42.5
Figure 3.2 shows the trend on the respondent who answered no. Their answers
were they do not watch violent shows or movies on TV, they are always reminded by
their parents and no answer. 8 out of 17 respondents said they are not aware that they

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may be exposed to violence through media because they do not watch violent shows or
movies on TV since they usually watch cartoons. Kyra, a grade 4 student who is 9 years
old said “I do not use a lot of media resources, I only use it for homework.”. While 3 out
of 17 respondents said that they are not aware that they can be exposed to media
violence because their parents always remind them that violence is not for children.
Joseph, a grade 3 student who is 9 years old said “I am not exposed because I am
always reminded by my mom.”. 6 out of 17 respondents had no answer or did not give a
reason why they are not aware.
Figure 4
Reaction of the Respondents upon Witnessing Real Life Violence
Feelings Answers Percent out of 40
respondents
Surprised 8 20
Nervous 10 25
Frightened 19 47.5
Nothing At All 1 2.5
Worried 10 25
Sad 2 5
Figure 4 shows that 19 children out of the 40 respondents feel frightened upon
witnessing real life violence, 10 of them feel nervous, 10 feel worried, 8 feel surprised, 2
feel sad and 1 feels nothing at all.
The table answers a general question regarding real life violence. The

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researchers did not specify a situation in this question to make sure that the
respondents may relate by thinking about their own example based on what they
already know or what they have already experienced. The results revealed that almost
half (47.5%) feel frightened when they witness any form of real life violence.
Figure 5
Reaction of the Respondents upon Seeing a Friend Get Bullied
Feelings Answers Percent out of 40
respondents
Surprised 6 15
Nervous 5 12.5
Frightened 5 12.5
Nothing At All 2 5
Worried 23 57.5
Sad 1 2.5
Angry 2 5
Like to Help 1 2.5
Figure 5 shows that out of the 40 respondents, 23 children answered that they
feel worried upon seeing their friend get bullied. 6 answered that they feel surprised.
There were 5 who answered that they feel nervous, 5 who feel frightened, 2 who feel
angry, 2 who feel nothing at all, 1 who feels sad and 1 who feels that he likes to help.
The table shown above still answers a question about real life violence but the
researchers already specified a situation. They asked for the children’s reaction upon

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seeing a friend getting bullied and more than half (57.5%) answered that they’ll feel
worried.
Figures 4 and 5 present the possible feelings of the respondents towards real life
violence but these information are based on what they think they would feel. These
results do not include the actual response of the children in the said situations.
Figure 6
Media Violence Exposure Affects the Children’s Response to Real Life Violence
Figure 6 shows that 82% of the respondents agree that being exposed to media
violence affects their response to real life violence while 18% answered that their
exposure to media violence does not affect their response to real life violence.
Based on their responses, the majority (82%) believes that their exposure to
media violence affects them. They have two major bases, the changes in their emotions
and their tendency to imitate what they see in the media, that will be presented and
discussed in the next table. The other 18% believes that their media violence exposure
will not affect their response as long as they know what is right.

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Figure 6.1
Trends on Media Violence Exposure Affects the Children’s Response to Real Life
Violence: Respondents Who Answered Yes
Reasons Respondents Percent
It can affect their feelings
and emotions (frightened,
nervous and scared)
13 57
They might imitate what
they see, teach it to others
and it might affect their
brain
10 43
No Answer 8 -
TOTAL 31 82
Figure 6.1 shows the trend on the respondents who answered yes. The trend of
their responses was it can affect their feelings and emotions (frightened, nervous and
scared) and they might imitate what they see, teach it to others, it might affect their
brain and no answer. 13 out of 31 respondents said that media violence can affect their
feelings and emotions since they will be frightened, nervous and sad. Sophia, a grade 2
student who is 8 years old said “It can affect because I will keep on remembering what
happened.”. 8 out of 31 respondents said they might imitate what they see and teach it
to other people. Some also said that what they see can also affect their brain. Allyza, a
grade 4 student who is 9 years old said “It can affect me because we see violence and
people there are smart and know what to do, so I can do it too and copy them.” Only 8
out of 31 respondents had no answer or did not give an answer.
Figure 6.2

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Trends on Media Violence Exposure Affects the Children’s Response to Real Life
Violence: Respondents Who Answered No
Reasons Respondents Percent
It cannot affect them as
long as they know what is
right
5
100
No Answer 2 -
TOTAL 7 18
Figure 6.2 shows the trend on the respondents who answered no. The trend of
their answers were it cannot affect them as long as they know what is right and no
answer. 5 out of 7 respondents said that media violence does not affect their values and
ability to respond to real life violence as long as they know what is right and they believe
that if they are not violent it will not affect them. Raphael, a grade 3 student who is 8
years old said that violence is not real since it is only seen in television and movies. On
the other hand, only 2 out of 7 respondents had no answer or did not give an answer.
Media Violence Desensitization of Children Ages 5 - 10 to Real Life Violence as
Perceived by the Professors in College of Education From Miriam College
Figure 7
Definition of Desensitization
Reasons Respondents Percent
Making something or
someone less sensitive or
numb
9 60
An individual not being

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able to exhibit the usual
reaction to a stimulus
6 40
TOTAL 15 100
Figure 7 shows the two most common answers of the 15 professors on the
definition of desensitization. 9 out of 15 respondents said that desensitization is a
process of making someone or something less sensitive, reactive or numb due to
repeated exposure. According to Carnagey, Anderson, & Bushman (2006),
desensitization is “a reduction in physiological arousal to real-life violence; a flattening of
affective reactions to violence” (p. 490). Ms. Marion Cruz, a professor from the College
of Education said “desensitization is the state in which individuals have been
bombarded by too much stimulus of the same kind even if it already affects one’s
morals on the ability to know ‘right’ from ‘wrong’. They have been too ‘flooded’ and can
no longer show sensitivity.”. On the other hand, 6 out of 15 respondents said that
desensitization is when an individual is not able to exhibit the usual reaction to a
stimulus. An example is feeling pity towards an abused child that is shown in a movie or
television show.
Figure 8
Awareness on Students Being Exposed to Violence Through Media

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Figure 8 shows the result on the awareness of the professors whether their
students may be exposed to violence through the media. 100% or all 15 professors
answered that they are aware that their students may be exposed to violence through
the media and none or 0% answered no.
Figure 8.1
Awareness on Students Being Exposed to Violence Through Media: Respondents Who
Answered Yes
Reasons Respondents Percent
They can see, hear and
feel violence in media
3 20
It is present in all modes of
media (newspapers,
television, radio, movies)
12 80
TOTAL 15 100
Figure 8.1 represents the trend on the answers of the 15 professors. Their
answers were divided into two and these are the two most common answers, they can
see, hear and feel violence in the media and it is present in all modes of media

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(newspapers, television, radio and movies). 3 out of 15 respondents said that they can
see, hear and feel violence in the media since violence is very much present in the
media. While, 12 out of 15 respondents said that violence is present in all modes of
media such as newspapers, television, radio and movies which makes it hard to control.
Figure 9
Difference Between the Values/Behavior of the Students Today and the
Values/Behavior of Students Before Who were not that Exposed to Media
Figure 9 shows the percentage whether the 15 professors have witnessed any
difference between the values/behavior of the students today and the values/behavior of
students before, who are not that exposed to the media. 100% or all 15 respondents
answered yes, they have witnessed a difference between the students today and
students before. On the other hand, none or 0% answered no.
Figure 9.1
Difference Between the Values/Behavior of the Students Today and the
Values/Behavior of Students Before Who were not that Exposed to Media: Respondents
Who Answered Yes
Reasons Respondents Percent

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Crimes and illegal acts as
the norm VS Not being
aware of being
desensitized
3 20
Preference to watch TV
shows that depict
aggressive behavior
2 13
Innocent, compassionate
and easily moved by
events VS Numb and
accustomed to what they
see in media as “Common
Acts”
6 40
Games that involve killing 2 13
No Answer 2 -
TOTAL 15 100
Figure 9.1 represents the trend of the respondents’ answers to the difference of
the students today and students before based on the values/behavior of the students.
The respondents’ answers were divided into 5 and these are the most common answers
provided by the respondents. 3 out of 15 respondents said that students today think that
crimes and illegal acts are considered as a normal act, while students before are not
aware of being desensitized since they are not exposed that much to media. Only 2 out
of 15 respondents said that nowadays students prefer to watch TV shows (local or
foreign) that depicts an aggressive behavior between the characters of the show which
causes the students (viewers) to imitate what they see. 6 out of 15 respondents
answered innocent, compassionate and easily moved by events VS numb and
accustomed to what they see in the media as “Common Acts”. According to Ms. Marion

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Cruz, those students who are not exposed are more “innocent”, meaning they have
more compassion and are easily moved by the events. While those students who are
regularly exposed have become so accustomed to what they see in media (ex. violence,
sexual immoralities, etc.) that it has become a “common fare” . 2 out of 15
respondents said that the games that are usually prefered by boys are those that
involve war, killing etc. According to Ms. Pelias, the Chairperson of the College of
Education, said “To see if desensitization is exhibited, preference will equate to negative
values in something that needs to be qualified and studied.”. While, 2 out of 15
respondents had no answer or did not provide their answer to the question.
Figure 10
Exposure to Media Violence Can Desensitize Students Especially Ages 5-10
Reasons Respondents Percent
Constant exposure can
desensitize children and
when they are not
adequately guided by
adults
3 20
The child’s exposure still
depends on the parents if
they control or limit their
exposure to media
5
33
Children get used to it due
to the frequency of
exposure, however they
still know that things shown
in media are not real
3 20
A child being exposed to
media violence has a
tendency to imitate what is
4 27

29. Stoned 29
shown to them
TOTAL 15 100
Figure 10 shows the results on the exposure to media violence can desensitize
students especially ages 5-10. This table represents the trend of the respondents’
answers. The respondents’ answers were divided into four. 3 out of 15 respondents
answered constant exposure to media violence may desensitize children especially
when they are not adequately guided by adults. 5 out of 15 respondents answered that
the child’s exposure still depends on the parents, if they are with their child while being
exposed to media violence or if they limit or control the child’s media exposure.
According to Ms. Marion Cruz, “we need to control the children’s media exposure during
these formative stages.”. 3 out of 15 respondents said that children get used to viewing
violence because of the frequency of exposure. According to an anonymous professor,
“Even if they get used to it, I think that they still know that TV, videos or media are not
real things shown on.”. 4 out of 15 respondents said that a child being exposed to media
violence has a tendency to imitate what is shown to them. According to Ms. Pedrajas, a
professor from the graduate school of the College of Education, said “children of this
age are imitators of violence in the family, school and community which shocked the
world.”. According to another professor from the College of Education, “children tend to
imitate what they see. Therefore, they themselves become violent and copy even the
wrong values they are exposed to.”.

30. Stoned 30
Conclusion
The results and findings gathered through conducting surveys to children and to
the professors were divided into two. The results presented in the survey conducted to
children demonstrates that media violence exposure to children ages 5-10 from Infant
Jesus Academy are not desensitized to real life violence. However results presented in
the survey conducted to professors shows that exposure to media violence can
desensitize children ages 5-10 to real life violence.
In the survey conducted to children ages 5-10 from Infant Jesus Academy
Marikina, an example of a real life violence was given and the results were 19 children
out of the 40 respondents feel frightened upon witnessing real life violence, 10 of them
feel nervous, 10 feel worried, 8 feel surprised, 2 feel sad and 1 feels nothing at all. This
proves that children ages 5-10 from Infant Jesus Academy are not desensitized to real
life violence however they are aware that they could be exposed to violence through the
media, which could affect them. Based on the survey conducted on children, the
majority of the respondents (82%), believe that their exposure to media violence affects
their feelings or emotions or they would have a tendency to imitate what they see.
According to a study conducted by Bushman and Anderson, “People exposed to media
violence become ‘‘comfortably numb’’ to the pain and suffering of others and are
consequently less helpful.” (2009, p. 277). This quotation from Bushman and Anderson
study supports what Ms. Marion Cruz, a professor from the College of Education in
Miriam College, said “desensitization is the state in which individuals have been
bombarded by too much stimulus of the same kind even if it already affects one’s

31. Stoned 31
morals on the ability to know ‘right’ from ‘wrong’. They have been too ‘flooded’ and can
no longer show sensitivity.”. This means that when a child is repeatedly exposed to the
same stimuli, for instance media violence, the child becomes numb and less
compassionate to those in need which can also affect their morals. In Eisenberg and
Fabes’ study (as cited in Krahé, Moller, Huesmann, Kirwil, Felber and Berger, 2010),
children are still developing their moral values in determining what is right from wrong,
thus the values shown or present in the different media materials such as violent video
games can have a lasting effect and impact on those children who are still in their
formative stages or those who are “developing moral reasoning principles with
established value systems”.
In the survey conducted to the professors in the College of Education from
Miriam College, the professors provided their opinions if the exposure to media violence
desensitizes their students, especially those who are ages 5-10. The results and trends
of their answers were divided into 4 which are constant exposure to media violence can
desensitize children and when they are not adequately guided by adults, the child’s
exposure still depends on the parents if they control or limit their exposure to media,
children get used to it due to the frequency of exposure however they still know that
things shown in media are not real, and a child being exposed to media violence has a
tendency to imitate what is shown to them. Majority of the respondents (33%) said that
the child’s exposure still depends on the parents if they control or limit their exposure to
the media. Parents are also responsible for supervising their child to the media
materials they are exposed to. According to Howitt (1973), those families who give

32. Stoned 32
unfavorable comments on media violence are less likely to have an aggressive child
compared to those families who condone media violence in their homes. This proves
that those families who are with their children, supervising them and guiding them while
being exposed to media materials are “less likely to have an aggressive child”
compared to those families who deliberately ignore media violence in their homes.
There is a clear distinction between the students today and the students before,
according to the surveys conducted to the professors. Most of the respondents (40%)
said that students before are more innocent, compassionate and are easily moved by
the events presented from the different media materials compared to the student today
who is accustomed to what they see in the media as a “common act”, thus making them
numb. There is a clear distinction of the students before and today due to the media
materials present. Before, children or students have limited media materials so they are
only exposed to limited one making them less desensitized compared to students or
children today who have several or are exposed to several media materials which
makes them desensitized.
Despite the different results the researchers got from conducting surveys to
children ages 5-10 from Infant Jesus Academy and to professors in the College of
Education from Miriam College, this study only proves that desensitization varies in
individuals, depending on how the individual accepts, reacts and applies what is seen or
with that certain stimuli that is presented through the different media materials.
Recommendations

33. Stoned 33
Based on the data and findings gathered through the surveys conducted to
children ages 5-10 from Infant Jesus Academy and professors in the College of
Education from Miriam College, children or students from Infant Jesus Academy are not
desensitized to real life violence. Thus there are certain recommendations related to this
study on media violence desensitization of ages 5-10 children to real life violence.
Due to time constraints, surveys conducted in this study were only limited to 2
schools namely Infant Jesus Academy Marikina and Miriam College, thus more surveys
should be conducted to children from different schools and from different age ranges as
well. A future researcher of this study should also consider other ways or forms of
gathering data such as conducting an interview with children, parents and experts or
teachers to get a more honest and truthful response. In line with this, the future
researcher of this study should also consider a case study and observations to further
support the thesis of the study.
From the findings gathered, children are not that desensitized to media violence
and to real life violence as well, thus it will be better if this study is conducted among
adolescents since they are more exposed to other media materials compared to
children ages 5-10.
Based on the data gathered in this research, children ages 5-10 are in their
formative stages, thus too much or repeatedly exposing children to media violence
could greatly affect them. So parents or adults should always supervise and be aware of
what media materials the child is exposed to.

34. Stoned 34
Appendix
Answers of the Students in Infant Jesus Academy Marikina about the
Desensitization to Real Life Violence because of Media Violence Exposure
Media Materials that Children Get Exposed to
Material Answers of the
Respondents
Percent out of 40
respondents
Cellphone 18 45
Television 26 65
Internet 24 60
Ipad 7 17
PSP 4 10
DS 1 2.6
Average Hours of Exposure to Media Resources
Hours Respondents Percent
1 to 5 37 92.5
5 to 10 2 5.0
11 to 15 0 0.0
16 to 20 1 2.5
20 or more 0 0.0
Total 40 100

35. Stoned 35
Awareness of the Children about Desensitization due to Media Violence exposure
Response Respondents Percent
Yes 23 57.5
No 17 42.5
Total 40 100
Children’s feelings towards Real Life Violence
Feelings Answers Percent out of 40
respondents
Surprised 8 20
Nervous 10 25
Frightened 19 47.5
Nothing At All 1 2.5
Worried 10 25
Sad 2 5
Children’s feelings upon seeing a friend get bullied
Feelings Answers Percent out of 40
respondents
Surprised 6 15
Nervous 5 12.5
Frightened 5 12.5
Nothing At All 2 5
Worried 23 57.5
Sad 1 2.5

36. Stoned 36
Angry 2 5
Like to Help 1 2.5
Does it affect the response of children to Real Life Violence?
Response Respondents Percent
Yes 31 82
No 7 18
Total 38 100

37. Stoned 37
A Survey on Media Violence Desensitization of Ages 5-10 Children to Real Life Violence
The information provided by the respondents in this survey will be confidential and will be used for this
research entitled, “Stoned: Media Violence Desensitization of Ages 5-10 Children to Real Life Violence” in fulfillment
of English 103: Fundamentals of Research. The purpose of conducting this survey is to be able to explain and
provide answers to the following questions: 1.) How does exposure to media violence (movies and video games)
affect children ages 5-10? 2.) How does exposure to media violence lead to desensitization to children as perceived
by the experts, the parents and the children, themselves.
Name: (Optional) _________________________________ Age: ___ Grade Level: _____
DIRECTIONS: Encircle the item that best applies to you. Please answer each question truthfully.
1. Which of the listed media resources do you get to use? (You may encircle more than 1 item)
a. cellphone
b. television
c. internet
d. Others: __________________________
2. How long do you spend watching TV, surfing the net, and playing video games in a day?
a. 1-5 hours
b. 5-10 hours
c. 11-15 hours
d. 16-20 hours
e. 20 hours or more
3. Are you aware that you may get exposed to violence through the media? Yes No
Explain how.
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
4. How would you react to real life violence? (For example, when you see a person got shot)
a. Surprised
b. Nervous
c. Frightened
d. Nothing at all
e. Worried
f. Others: _________________________________
5. How would you react when you witness your other classmates being bullied by your friend?
a. Surprised
b. Nervous
c. Frightened
d. Nothing at all
e. Worried
f. Others: _________________________________
6. Do you think media violence affects your values and your ability to respond to real life violence?
Yes No
How?
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________

38. Stoned 38
A Survey on Media Violence Desensitization of Ages 5-10 Children to Real Life Violence
The information provided by the respondents in this survey will be confidential and will be used
for this research entitled, “Stoned: Media Violence Desensitization of Ages 5-10 Children to Real Life
Violence” in fulfillment of English 103: Fundamentals of Research. The purpose of conducting this survey
is to be able to explain and provide answers to the following questions: 1.) How does exposure to media
violence (movies and video games) affect children ages 5-10? 2.) How does exposure to media violence
lead to desensitization to children as perceived by the experts, the parents and the children, themselves.
Name: (optional) __________________________ Years teaching: ____________
Grade/Year Levels taught:___________________ Subject Area: ______________
DIRECTIONS:
Answer each question truthfully and honestly in no more than 5 sentences.
1. How do you define “Desensitization”?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
2. Are you aware that your students may be exposed to violence through media? Explain.
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
3. Have you witnessed any difference between the values/behavior of the students today and
the values/behavior of the students before who are not that exposed to media? Elaborate.
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
4. In your opinion, does the exposure of media violence desensitize your students, especially
those who are ages 5-10 years old? Explain.
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________

39. Stoned 39
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