Violence, in its various forms (homicide, suicide and trauma) is a leading cause of death for children, adolescents and young adults.

 

A growing body of research indicates that the media is having an impact on young people’s behavior and brain development.

 

TV
More than 1,000 studies have been performed on the effects of violence in TV and movies. The majority of these studies conclude that children who watch significant amounts of TV and movie violence are more likely to exhibit aggressive behavior, attitudes and values.

Video Games
Studies show that when children and young adults play violent video games, their aggressive behavior increases. Parents are far less likely to monitor the video games their children play than the TV programs they watch.

Games with an M (Mature, 17+ rating for violence and/or sexual content) are often marketed to a younger audience and many stores do not enforce the age rating system. In one study, 73% of 4th grade boys say that the majority of their favorite video games are violent.

 

A WORD ABOUT BULLYING

Bullying is a common, disturbing problem that, when left unchecked, can escalate into horrific acts of violence. While schools are scrambling to address this issue, it’s the home environment that plays a major role in the behavior’s development. Teens who come from homes where parents provide little emotional support for their children, fail to monitor their activities, or have little involvement in their lives, are at greater risk for engaging in bullying behavior. As is true with all of the risk behaviors mentioned in this publication, parent-teen connectedness plays a vital role in protecting the health and safety of their own children, and of all young people in our community.

2001’s Top-Selling
Video Games

 ➥ 89% contained violence
➥ 49% contained serious violence
➥ 40% contained comic violence
➥ 41% of the games required violent game play to advance
➥ 17% of the games had violence as the primary focus

What You Can Do