Through these conversations, Katch has found that although children are fascinated by violent images seen on various media, they are often scared by those very images. In the following e-interview, Katch talks with Education World about her students' favorite games, such as suicide, and how parents and schools can work together to limit exposure to violence in media. In your book, you often mention how children's play is greatly influenced by the violence and sex the kids see on TV, in video games, and at the movies. Parents I have talked with may be aware of the media's influence but often feel overwhelmed by the prospect of limiting their children's exposure to it. Cable television makes it hard to control access to a wide range of programming.
Advertisements make current movies look exciting and desirable.
When I explained to parents the impact the media were having on this particular group, and I let them know that we would all work on this problem together, the problem seemed more manageable. Knowing that their child would not see the banned program or movie at a friend's house and that the other children weren't going to see it either made it possible for the parents to say no in a consistent way. My curiosity about their play grew as I became interested in understanding it, rather than simply trying to avoid the issues. I think two of the major differences today are the dramatic increase in violent, gory, even gruesome deaths and the moral confusion created when good people are not always victorious. A few years ago, for instance, a popular program acted out in my class involved police as the foolish, dumb guys who often lost the battle to the clever crooks.