Children exposed to violence in video games, television and movies are more likely to be violent both short- and long-term, according to a study from the University of Michigan.

Dr. Rowell Huesmann compared the public health effect of media violence to exposure to cigarette smoke, asbestos and lead. He examined 41 media violence studies done between 1963 and 2007 and found that exposure raises the chances that a person will commit violent acts immediately and in the future.

He explained that the mass media has made violence available to a broad population.

"It is not just kids in bad neighborhoods or with bad friends who are exposed to bad things when they go out on the street," he explained. "A 'virtual' bad street is easily available to most youth now."

This study appears in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

Labels: video_games, violence, virtual_worlds