Study Links Media Exposure with Youth Violence
By Hugh C. McBride
Producers of dark and violent films, television shows, and video games have often claimed that their products are not designed to influence behavior, but rather are merely mirroring the realities of modern life.
If the data in soon-to-be-released studies are accurate, though, that argument may have become much more difficult to defend.
A Significant Predictor
In a paper that is scheduled to be published in the February 2009 edition of The Journal of Youth and Adolescence, Rutgers University (Newark) Professor Paul Boxer reports on research that led him to conclude that exposure to violent media "contributed significantly to the prediction of violence and general aggression" in the 820 adolescents and teenagers who were evaluated by his team.
This media-violence connection, Boxer reported, remained even after he and his fellow researchers took into account other factors such as academic frustration, exposure to violence within the community, and emotional disorders. "Even in conjunction with other factors, our research shows that media violence does enhance violent behavior," he said in a Nov. 20, 2008, article on the ScienceDaily website. "On average, adolescents who were not exposed to violent media are not as prone to violent behavior."
Boxer reached this conclusion based on interviews with the youth - 430 of whom were students at rural, suburban, or urban schools; 390 of whom were being held in county and state facilities for juvenile delinquents - and many of their parents, guardians, and teachers. The researchers questioned their subjects about favorite shows, films, and video games, as well as their participation in aggressive, violent, or otherwise antisocial behaviors.
After determining the degree to which each young person had been exposed to other risk factors (such as trauma or emotional disorders), the team members evaluated the correlation between media exposure and violent tendencies. The result, according to an online preview of the report, was that "even for those lowest in other risk factors, a preference for violent media was predictive of violent behavior and general aggression."
A Prevalent Threat
Understanding the connection between media violence and tendencies toward personal aggression is an important step in improving the quality of life of the nation's youth, but actually acting on that information may prove to be much more difficult.
According to information posted online by the National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center, violence virtually permeates popular culture:
- Sixty-one percent of television programs contain some violence, and only four percent of these shows are constructed around a theme of anti-violence.
- Forty-four percent of the violent interactions on television involve perpetrators who are portrayed as having qualities that are attractive or otherwise worthy of emulation.
- Forty-three percent of violent scenes incorporate humor.
- Almost 75 percent of violent actions in television programs are followed by neither immediate punishment nor condemnation.
- Forty percent of programs feature plots in which characters who exhibit aggressive behaviors are never (or rarely) punished for their actions.
- A 2001 review of the 70 top-selling video games found that 89 percent contained some kind of violence.
- Forty-nine percent of the games that were surveyed contained "serious violence," while four out of 10 featured "comic violence."
- In 41 percent of the surveyed games, violence was necessary for the protagonists to achieve their goals, and in 17 percent, the violence was the primary focus of the game.
- Although 88 percent of parents report monitoring their children's television habits, less than half (48 percent) do the same for video games.
What's a Parent to Do?
Parents who are concerned about the level of violence to which their children are being exposed, and the effect that violence is having upon them, should know that they are neither alone in their fears nor powerless in their ability to exert a positive influence.
The most important step parents can take is to maintain an active presence in their children's lives. If you are aware of what your child is watching, reading, and listening to, you have a better chance of addressing issues of concern before they turn into significant problems. For example, if you regularly watch television with your child, you will be able to discuss the violence you see, and use the opportunity to teach the difference between healthy assertiveness and improper aggression.
Though you can't protect your children from every unsavory media image, you can limit their exposure by controlling the time they spend in front of the television, hunched over a video game controller, or surfing the Internet. Establishing and enforcing media moderation rules will ensure that your children don't develop an unhealthy dependence upon video games or other media outlets.
If your child is already expressing violent or aggressive tendencies, the time to intervene is now. Consult your child's guidance counselor or your family physician, and be prepared to take whatever action is necessary to remedy the situation before it causes lasting damage. Depending upon the nature and severity of the behaviors your child is engaging in, treatment options may include outpatient therapy, participation in an anger-management class, or enrollment in a therapeutic boarding school or wilderness program.
