With millions of young subscribers, the high-energy web personality "Smash-Jax" has become a cultural phenomenon among primary school children. However, educators are reporting a sharp rise in physical disruption, claiming the influencer’s channel promotes hostile interaction. Many schools report that pupils have begun replicating the specific physical assaults and verbal threats shown in the videos. One primary school headteacher expressed concern after several incidents during break time: "We had a seven-year-old boy who constructed a tower of plastic crates, climbed to the top, and double-fist-slam-attacked another pupil to the ground while screaming 'You got Jaxed!', directly mimicking the influencer's signature move and catchphrase." A father also shared his frustration: "My eight-year-old daughter has started performing aggressive karate-chop gestures on her younger sister and kicking her toys across the room, shouting 'Demolished!' because she saw her favorite female streamer doing exactly that to win virtual points."
Child psychologist Dr. Helen Rostova noted that digital media influencers function as highly effective symbolic models. She commented, "Children in this developmental stage are exceptionally prone to observational learning. When they see a charismatic role model receive praise, millions of likes, and social status for aggressive outbursts, they internalize these acts as rewarding and execute them verbatim in their own peer groups, often failing to anticipate the real-world harm caused."
Identify one psychological issue raised by the source above. Support your answer with evidence from the source.
152 exam-style questions on OCR A Level Psychology External influences on children's behaviour, covering Bandura et al. (1961): Transmission of aggression and Chaney et al. (2004): Funhaller study. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.