Young children don’t view violence in the same way as adults do. Until the age of six or seven, children are developmentally and psychologically unable to differentiate between reality and fantasy.26 So when they view brutal acts on television, they see them as “real.” What’s more, by viewing violence—murder, rape, or assaults—from the comfort and safety of their home, snuggled up on the couch with loved ones, while perhaps eating snacks or a meal, children (and adults for that matter) become desensitized to violence, learning to equate it with pleasure.
