Essay, Research Paper: Killer Children

Killer Children
What is going wrong with America s youth? All over the United States of America, children are committing murders. Deaths caused by children have increased significantly over the past few years. A few causes for this tragic epidemic are the children s lack of participation, the parents inadequate involvement, and the media s overexposure.
One reason why a child commits murder is because he or she doesn t actively participate in their school and community. To ensure a child s proper development in mental health and social skills, it is imperative that the child interacts with society. Most children committing murders are hostile and depressed because they are socially and scholastically withdrawn. An example of this is in Littleton, Colorado, where two teenagers gunned down their peers and teachers. These two boys were described as social delinquents. Neither boy was involved in their school or community. Children s lack of participation in their environment contributes to them committing murders.
Another explanation for children commit murder is the parents lack of interest in them. Children depend on their parents to instill morals and boundaries. It is important for parents to be embedded in their child s life to ensure that their child grows into a normal adult. When parents aren t involved with their child, that child can withdraw from their family and society. The shooting in Littleton, Colorado, is a great example of what happens when parents show a lack of interest in their children. The parents of both shooters were so uninvolved in their children, that they didn t know if their sons had a job or if they were still going to school. Thus, the boys were able to set up hate sites over the Internet, buy guns, and plot a mass murder without their parents having any idea of what they were doing. Parents lack of interest in their child contributes to children killing others.
A third cause for child killers is the media. When a child commits a murder, the media overexposes the tragedy. In Jonesboro, Arkansas, two elementary students hid in bushes and gunned down their classmates and teachers. When the media found out that the two young killers were allegedly abused, the press strongly suggested that they were victims as well. This media coverage affects children who watch it. Suggesting that the two boys were acting out only because they were abuse, other children begin to think they can get away with murder by saying they are abused. After the shooting in Arkansas, more children across America begin to act violent and murderous. The media s over exposure of tragedies account for children committing murders.
As long as children are uninterested in their surroundings, parents pay no attention to their children, and the media child murderous as innocent victims, the number of children murdering and committing violent crimes will rise.