Texan Mosaic

Horror Movies do not affect mental health of children

by DEZ MENDEZ / Feature Editor

In our society, we are quick to point the blame at others, instead of taking responsibility for our own actions.

Society and the media are quick to place the blame on horror movies for shootings, murders or anything crazy that could happen in the world.

I don’t believe that horror movies affect or influence children. I watched a lot of horror movies when I was growing up, and I am perfectly fine. I didn’t grow up to be a serial killer or murderer. I knew what was real and what wasn’t real. Movies are made just to entertain us.

My children have seen some scary movies, and they are fine. I don’t want them to grow up being afraid of something that isn’t real. They see worse things in the news, at school, on television shows or even in video games. You can’t protect them from what they see.

I feel that if you talk to your kids about right and wrong, and what is real and not real, that they will be OK, knowing that horror movies are just that, movies.

You don’t want your children growing up being scared all the time because you don’t want them to watch a scary movie. I grew up watching them with my brother, and I still enjoy them with my kids. Yes, some of today’s horror movies are super gory and bloody, so I don’t show those to my kids, But the classics are a must. We watch them on Halloween.

I think the only way a horror movie will have some influence on them is if they already have some psychological trauma that can affect how they see right and wrong. That could have them thinking differently and not knowing that the movies are not real.

The world needs to grow up and quit blaming the movies. How about placing blame on the parents, or the bullies? That’s what makes kids snap! Bullies tend to be the cause of a person’s rage, causing them to snap and do crazy stuff, not the horror movie.

It is not like a DVD of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” walked off the shelf and told a kid to go murder someone. That is impossible. So why are we so quick to blame the horror movie genre for mass shootings, school shootings or murders?

Horror movies don’t make people commit murder, or shoot up schools. Those people have problems and don’t have someone to talk to about what is wrong. So when they finally hit that point of snapping, it is hard for them to come back.

Horror movies don’t affect or influence children. Man-up and take responsibility for your own actions. Quit pointing fingers and teach your kids right from wrong. Educate them on the fact that horror movies are just for entertainment and aren’t real.

If the world could get along, stop bullying and learn to love one another, there wouldn’t be a need to blame the horror movie genre.

Horror movies cause children to act violently

by TINA GONZALEZ / Editorial Assistant

Violent, graphic, and scary movies do influence children and their actions

These kinds of movies affect how children and youths sleep and eat because of how gruesome and frightening these movies can get.

I have little cousins who take these violent and scary videos games and movies to heart, acting out violently with their siblings because they see these movies that get glorified for all the wrong reasons. Children become more aggressive and hostile toward other kids their age, which also could cause them to act out in school.

There is parental controls for the Internet and TV for a reason because parents understand that violent and scary things for children are not good for them in anyway. There are countless times when a child jumps into bed with their parents because of nightmares from the things they watch. Scary movies cause lack of sleep for children, which then affects their school day.

In violent and scary movies, there is usually usage of profane language which eventually rubs off on the youth, making them think it is OK to use cuss words. For children, it’s natural to repeat what they hear, so why expose them to vulgar language and aggressive actions.

If violent and scary movies didn’t have a terrible affect on kids, then there would not be age restrictions on movies, or the ability to have parental control. But there is because it is harmful for kids to watch and engage in such vulgarity.  

The youth are the future of this nation, and it is only right to do our best to raise and expose them to things that are helpful to their minds and future. The youth cannot tell the difference between fantasy and reality, so it is hard for them to comprehend what is right and wrong, what should and shouldn’t be said. So it is important that we don’t condone violence for the younger generations.

Movies with violence and horror does have affects on children. It causes them to act out against their peers and causes them to show disrespect to their elders.

These movies even allow their imagination to run wild, which may lead to them bringing weapons to school. They see that people are making movies with violence, which make them think it is OK to act out. In some video games, robbing banks seems to be a good thing, though in reality it is not. But kids don’t know how to separate what is fake and real.

Video games have an age limit on when they can be bought, and that is because of the terrible graphics in these games that are not to be played or seen by younger kids. But even though there is an age restriction, parents are still buying graphic movies and video games tarnishing their children’s minds.

Ultimately, parents have control of what their kids watch. But they should be aware of the damages it can cause. Kids should not be allowed to see movies with violence until the correct age.