The normalization of violence in TV series, films and social media – along with the lack of positive role models and the portrayal of negative characters as charismatic or powerful – can lead children and adolescents to view violence as ordinary and adopt such figures as role models, experts say.

In the digital world, characters who use violence or display power are sometimes presented as strong, accepted or idealized figures to attract ratings and views. Such portrayals can influence the identity development of young people, particularly because children and adolescents are more affected by how a behavior is presented than whether the behavior is right or wrong.

When violence is portrayed as powerful, attractive or socially accepted, it can gradually become normalized.

Clinical psychologist Saadet Aybeniz Yıldırım told Anadolu Agency (AA) that negative characters are often given greater prominence than positive ones in digital media.

"Especially in the digital world, negative characters being idealized can be quickly accepted by children and adolescents, who may then try to become like the people they have idealized,” Yıldırım said.

She said this can be seen in cases of peer bullying and violence, adding that young people increasingly struggle to find positive figures to look up to.

"We need to talk about the normalization of negative behavior in social media, TV series and films. These people can gain acceptance and visibility through violence or power,” Yıldırım said.

"Since being accepted is extremely important in the world of adolescents, they may try to express themselves behaviorally in this way.”

Yıldırım also pointed to an increase in young people seeking help for anger and behavioral problems, saying both individual and environmental factors can contribute.

"One of the biggest individual factors is that they cannot properly express the emotions they experience internally,” she said. "At the same time, they may not be taking the right people as examples. Unfortunately, the people they see as idols may often be individuals who are prone to violence, and this affects them.”

Families' role

Yıldırım said families also have an important role in protecting children and adolescents from the negative effects of digital content.

She emphasized the importance of healthy communication between parents and children.

"Families can prevent children from being influenced by negative examples. They need to know which groups their children belong to, which groups they follow and what kinds of ideologies they are exposed to. This is only possible when supported by healthy channels of communication,” she said.

However, Yıldırım stressed that watching violent or negative content does not automatically cause behavioral problems.

"Of course, not every child or adolescent develops a behavioral problem simply based on what they see. But such content can still make them imagine that problems can be solved in this way,” she said.

She added that adolescents can be particularly susceptible to impulsive behavior and may not always anticipate its consequences.

"During adolescence, as they search for an identity, they may want to see themselves differently, feel a sense of belonging to different groups or focus more strongly on their differences,” Yıldırım said.

New groups emerge online

Yıldırım said the digital world has also created new forms of friendship and group belonging, making it harder for parents to understand who influences their children.

"Children and especially adolescents may find information online that convinces them that they belong to different groups, or they may do certain things to belong in these groups,” she said.

"In the past, we could easily see who our children were friends with or whom they looked up to. Now, they can quickly become members of a group, while we may not be able to understand who is in that group or who is influencing them.”

Yıldırım concluded that children and adolescents can be quicker to accept negative behavior and therefore require greater attention from parents and those around them.

"Our observations in psychology show that children and adolescents can accept more negative elements more quickly. That is why we need to be more careful,” she said.