The link between media and violence

Each time there is a tragic shooting that makes the headlines, media pundits question whether the violence found in many U.S. movies, TV shows and video games is a contributing factor to real acts of violence.

Last weekend, the New York Times published a well-written editorial on the topic that summarizes the evidence available about the connection between media and real-life violence.

The editorial draws the conclusion – citing three separate systematic reviews – that exposure to violent imagery is a risk factor for carrying out violent acts in real life.  In other words, not everyone exposed to violent media will become violent in real life. But viewing violent media increases ones chances of acting out violently.

The first review  published in the journal Communication Research analyzed 217 studies that looked at the effect of television violence on aggressive behavior. Specifically, they found that exposure to media violence increased the chances that the viewer would commit actual physical violence against another person in the short-term, and that habitual viewing of violent media increased the risk of acting violently toward another person over longer periods of time.

A second review published in Psychological Science analyzed 42 studies on exposure to violent video games and aggressive behavior among children. Researchers found a strong connection between playing violent video games and aggressive behavior across children and young adults. “These results clearly support the hypothesis that exposure to violent video games poses a public-health threat to children and youths, including college-age individuals,” the researchers wrote.

A third meta-analysis published in the Lancet combines all of the evidence available on media and violence through 2005. It pulls together five separate systematic reviews, including the two listed above. After reviewing all of the data, the researchers concluded there is “consistent evidence that violent imagery in television, film and video, and computer games has substantial short-term effects on arousal, thoughts, and emotions, increasing the likelihood of aggressive or fearful behavior in children, especially boys.” They also said” “The evidence becomes inconsistent when considering older children and teenagers, and long-term outcomes for all ages.”

That’s a lot of evidence on one topic. So what’s the take-home message?  While the evidence may not spell out the specifics of how violent media contributes to real-life behavior, one thing is clear: there is a definite connection between what we see on TV and how we act in real life.

In our house, we certainly prevent our children from watching anything violent in television shows or movies. It’s an easy rule to enforce now, but it’s one I hope to continue as my kids get older.

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