The Effect of Media Violence on Youth

Media violence includes violent scenes on television, movies, video games and music videos. According to the National Center of Children Exposed to Violence, "violent thoughts and behavior increase after exposure to violent films, music, television or video games."

  1. Desensitization

    • According to Dr. Craig Anderson, who worked as part of a team of Iowa psychologists who studied the effects of video game violence on youth, "It produces an emotional desensitization to aggression and violence."

    Aggressive Behavior

    • "Researchers have found that children are more physically and verbally aggressive immediately after watching violent television and movies," reports the National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center.

    Addictive Behavior

    • The National Institute on Media and the Family cites a study by Dr. S.M. Grüsser, Ph.D. which states that, "11.9 percent of video game players fulfill diagnostic criteria of addiction concerning their gaming behavior."

    Aggressive Scripts

    • Anderson states that frequent users of violent video games develop "aggressive scripts," or thought patterns that lead youth to "view the world in a more hostile fashion."

    ADHD Symptoms

    • According to the National Institute on Media and the Family website, "Adolescents who play more than one hour of console or Internet video games have more or more intense symptoms of ADHD or inattention than those who do not."

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