The impact of violent media content on teens and children is a growing concern. More than 50 years of research has led the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association to conclude that a high level of exposure to violent programming has a deleterious effect on a young mind.
Increased Aggression
A 2002 study reported in the journal Science and conducted by Columbia University's Dr. Jeffrey Johnson found a significant correlation between teen television viewing and future acts of aggression. The study followed 700 teens for 17 years. The study found that only 6 percent of teens who watched less than an hour a day went on to commit an aggressive act while 28.8 percent of those who watched more than 3 hours a day became aggressive. While the study included all television viewing, not just violent programs, University of Michigan's L. Rowell Huesmann notes that 60 percent of television programming contains violent content, which he feels is responsible for this effect in this study. The researchers also controlled for other factors that could lead to future aggression such as neglect, poverty or a violent neighborhood. "We can be fairly confident in inferring that there's likely to be a cause-effect association," says Dr. Johnson.
Lessened Concentration and Self-Control
In 2005, the Journal of Computer Assisted Tomography published a study conducted by Vincent P. Mathews, M.D., professor of radiology at Indiana University School of Medicine, which suggests that media violence may affect brain function in the frontal cortex--the area of the brain that controls concentration and self-control. Matthews compared the fMRI brain images of two sets of teens, the first group was composed of children with disruptive behavioral disorder and the second was a control group with no history of aggressive behavior. Both groups had been exposed to various levels of violent media for the past year. Matthews found that "individuals in the control group with high media violence exposure showed a brain activation pattern similar to the pattern of the aggressive group." Their brain images showed a decrease in frontal cortex activity which would indicate a lessened ability for attention and impulse control.
Decreased Empathy
Exposure to media violence has been shown to decrease a child's ability to feel empathy for others. In 2004, clinical psychologist Jeanne Funk from the University of Toledo questioned 150 fourth and fifth graders about their attitudes towards violence. She found that kids with significant exposure to violent video games were less likely to agree with statements that expressed remorse for harm done to others. But University of Toronto's Johnathan Freedman questions whether the video games caused the children's desensitization. It is possible, says Freedman, that kids with lower empathy levels are simply more attracted to violent games. While Funk admits that may be true, she asserts that the violent games are not helpful for the predisposed children. After reviewing results from 85 studies on the subject, Brad Bushman from the University of Michigan concludes there is no reason to doubt the connection. Violent games increase the children's heart rate and blood pressure, he says. "They increase aggressive behavior and they decrease helping behavior."
References
- "The Dallas Morning News"; Study of Teens Links TV Viewing to Future Aggression; Karen Patterson; March 2002
- AScribe Health News Service: Brain: Media Violence Linked to Concentration, Self-Control: June 2005
- "The Cincinnati Post"; New Questions About Violent Video Games: Jenni Laidman Scripps: February 2004
- LA Times: Adolescents' TV Watching Is Linked to Violent Behavior
