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Grossman delivers tough message at KDSS symposium By Liz Dadson |
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It was a tough message but a timely one. Lt. Col. Dave Grossman urged young people to get away from television, movies and video games before their brains totally lose the ability to think rationally and behave appropriately. His keynote address was part of last week's symposium, "Today's Kids, Tomorrow's Village," held at Kincardine District Secondary School. During the morning session, Grossman talked about the increase in the crime rate throughout North America and how it is related to media violence. His afternoon session continued that discussion, outlining how children and young people are exposed to violent visual imagery to such a degree, through television, movies and video games, that it actually interferes with their brain activity. He showed brain scans, compliments of Indiana University, that showed brain activity in normal young people, compared to that in a video game player. The lack of activity in the brain of the video-gamer was astounding. Grossman, one of the world's foremost experts in the field of human aggression and the roots of violence and violent crime, said the response to this problem is not building more jails. It's reversing the trend toward violent behaviour and the abuse of alcohol, tobacco and marijuana. "So, is it permanent?" he asked, of the lack of brain activity. "It's like being intoxicated. We can change it back in three days by detoxing the young people at special camps where they get away from television, movies and video games for a week." Often, he said, young people find that they don't like the way they act when they're playing video games all the time, so they want to turn them off. "We urge parents to turn off the screens for a week and see how good their kids can be," said Grossman, "help them meet their potential." He said one of the worst things for young people today is sleep deprivation - often caused by watching television and playing video games. "Don't get me wrong," he said, "I like playing video games - for a couple of hours a day at the end of the day. But for many kids, it becomes an obsession. They get the illusion that they're in control. It's very seductive when they're under stress." He said the constant and uninterrupted use of video games causes sleep deprivation which can lead to depression and suicide. "When we're detoxing kids, the first thing they realize is how well-rested they are," said Grossman. "A family can detox their own child." He told of a couple who brought their three-year-old to a local agency because he was kicked out of daycare for uncontrolled violence. "The usual response would be to test him for attention deficit disorder and give him drugs," said Grossman. "We said before all of that, let's take him off television, movies and video games. Once we did that, a lot of the symptoms went away. "So, what if we had an entire school district of children doing this? Remove the violent visual imagery from their lives?" That's what several did in the United States, said Grossman. They took the "TV Turn-Off Challenge," and it resulted in higher test scores. For more information about that challenge, log on to www.takethechallengenow.net Grossman said if young people turned off TV, movies and video games, the world would come alive for them. The bowling alleys and skating rinks would be full. Families would be out biking together. "Older children set the standard for younger children," he said. "Today's little kids don't know how to play outdoor games, such as hide-and-seek and freeze tag. We need to get them back outside to play." And ultimately, he said, with more active children, there is a decrease in the nagging for toys because they aren't watching commercials, there is a decrease in obesity, and there is an increase in reading.
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 Lt. Col. Dave Grossman talks about how video games take over the brains of young people, removing their ability to think rationally Grossman said the greatest harm from TV, movies and video games, is done to children, aged two to eight. Music is another component, he said. "If our kids are listening to music filled with hate and fear, it reinforces that hate and fear they watched on TV. If our kids are listening to sick music, racist, hate-filled music, we need the courage to tell them not to listen to that stuff. "We've taught our kids fear at a young age," said Grossman, adding that fear empowers bullies and violence in schools. "I feel a deep sense of urgency about this," he said. "Never in history was there a need to put cops in our school to stop kids from killing each other." He said statistics prove that media violence results in societal violence. "Fifteen years after TV appeared, the murder rate doubled," he said. In March, 1998, Grossman retired from the army and went home to Jonesboro, Arkansas. He was there when a call came in of a shooting at one of the local schools. His son was in school, and he was paralyzed with fear. He went to the scene and it wasn't his son's school, but officials discovered an 11-year-old and a 13-year-old had gunned down 13 little girls and two teachers mercilessly, and then run away. They were caught by a police officer. "We failed those little girls and those teachers," said Grossman. "That's why I'm so passionate about what I'm doing. We need to protect and educate our future. "God bless you, your family, and your every endeavour." Grossman received a standing ovation. Scrolling stops when you move your mouse inside the scroll area. You can click on the ads for more
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