CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     Background of the Study
          A teenager is a young person whose age falls within the range of 13 to19 years they are called teenager’s because their number end with teen. Merriam Webster (1828)

Biologically, a teenagers falls between the stages of infancy and adulthood.           Also a teenager is a being between the stage of birth and puberty legally, a teenager is refers to a minor, or somebody who is yet to become an adult. Everything  that a teenager sees in a media affects them in many ways .Emphatically , every sight a teenager has behoove emulation , be it positive or negative .

A teenager who is exposed to violent movies respond actively to the ideology induces by the movie characters. As an interact process through the mass media in which persons or group related to each other, share information ,experience and culture.

Mass media consist of the various means of conveying information heterogeneously and simultaneously, with the aid of radio television, newspaper, internet, films etc. However, the aim of communication   by the media on its audience is to influence their behavior.

Research has shown that there is a twelve percent increase in aggressive behavior after watching violent behavior,(Tompkins,2003)still ,Aimee Tompkins (2003) adds that every viewer that watches four (4) hours a day, put in less effort  at school , have poorer reading skills, plays less with friends, have fewer hobbies and activities and are more likely to be overweight”

Cesarone Bernard (1994) highlights’ the American Psychology associations three major effect of watching violent media (films, television, etc.) “Teenagers become less sensitive to pain and suffering of others, teenagers may be more fearful of the world around them and teenager may be more likely to have in aggressive or hurtful ways towards others

However, at the other hand, critics of video games claim that watching violent film is less detrimental due to the teenagers not physically playing out the violent. Still maker of those violent movies argue that violent teenagers are drawn toward the violent movies. These people believe that the teenagers must have been exposed to more than just the programming in order to exhibit behaviors that they may have seen in films (Cesareone, 1994)

This research is therefore design to find out whether violent movies have a negative or positive impact on the teenagers of uyo local government area.

1.2             Statement of Problem

The inability to select what one exposes ones mind to can pose a greater danger to oneself the ability to distinguish reality from illusion and fantasy is the problem this research seeks to solve. Violent movie has become a problem on teenagers in that, what they see on violent movies are taken into practice by them. With this their attitudes and behavior seem to be more aggressive and arrogant.

It is also noticed that academic ability of teenagers is dwindling and most often is attributable to length of time they spend watching television, while their behavior seems not to conform to societal moral standard.

Therefore this study sought to out what motivate teenagers to watch violent films and the impacts of violent movies on the teenagers of Uyo Local Government Area.

1.3     Objectives of Study

This research work is targeted to achieving the following objectives.

1. To find out what motivate teenagers to watch violent films.
2. To find out how violent films can affects the behaviors of teenagers.
3. To find out the amount of time spent by teenagers on watching  violent movies
4. To examine the influence of violent movies on teenagers.

1.4    Research Questions

1. What motivate teenagers to watch violent movies?
2. How do teenagers behave after watching violent movie?
3. How long do teenagers sit to watch violent films?
4. What is the influence of violent movies on teenagers?