Twenty Questions (and Answers) About Media Violence and Cyberbullying

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Key points

  • A robust body of research finds an association between violence on television and in movies and real-life childhood and adolescent aggression, both short and long term.

  • Exposure to violent video games may lead to desensitization to violence, acceptance of violence as a response to conflict, and aggressive behavior in some children and teens.

  • Cyberbullying, with parallels to face-to-face bullying, is an emerging form of aggression occurring in every major social media platform.

  • Parents, schools,

Are violent video games responsible for mass shootings and school shootings?

This has become the major question in the past decade given the number of mass shootings and school shootings. Such tragedies are difficult to comprehend, and so people go searching for easy answers. There are none. There will never be a study that directly links school and mass shootings to media violence because, as difficult as it is to believe, such shootings are still rare. It would take a sample population of millions of people to try to establish a cause-and-effect link.

Notwithstanding,

Is there a good theory to explain the connection between media violence and real-life violence?

In general, media researchers and psychologists acknowledge that aggression and real-life violence are multifactorial in nature. Media violence is only 1 contributory factor to real-life violence. The general aggression model (GAM) is a useful, common-sense theory that considers aggressive behavior to be an interplay of various complex processes unique to each individual.11,12 GAM is a “dynamic theory that is concerned with how life experiences — in combination with biological and individual

How good is the research?

No research is perfect, and social science research is particularly fraught with obstacles and differing interpretations.15 Teasing out specific influences on human behavior is virtually a mission impossible. However, the research is clear on this subject and has been for a long time; so long that there is very little ongoing research on the impact of TV or movie violence, only video game violence. The preponderance of peer-reviewed studies over the past 3 to 4 decades confirms that exposure to

Are violent video games more harmful than violent television shows or movies?

The potential harm from video game violence parallels what is known about TV violence. Violence that is rewarded, violence perpetrated from a relatable character, and scripts for response to threat or conflict all reinforce aggressive attitudes and behavior, no matter the platform. However, video games (whether on a dedicated platform, a phone, or on a computer) feature intrinsic enticements that provide rewards for successful violence, such as moving to a new level, chances to play in a

Does cyberbullying qualify as media violence?

Cyberbullying occurs in every major social media platform and represents the new technological form of bullying. A Pew survey in 2018 found that nearly 60% of teens, of both genders, experienced cyberbullying in one of many forms: name calling, rumor spreading, sexting, feeling stalked (constantly being asked intrusive questions), physical threats.29 Most teens who experience cyberbullying also experience in-person bullying. Outcomes for victims (and abusers) run the gamut from depression,

Why is there still a controversy?

Although the bulk of scientific research over the decades confirms the association between media violence and harmful outcomes in children and teens, there is not complete consensus.15 In 2017, the multidisciplinary Work Group on Media Violence and Violent Video Games reviewed 60 years of relevant research, including longitudinal studies and meta-analyses, and found “compelling evidence of short-term harmful effects, as well as evidence of long-term harmful effects.”2 The work group also made

Is everyone affected the same?

Not every smoker develops lung cancer and, similarly, not every child playing violent video games perpetrates violence. Media violence is not the sole, or even the most powerful, antecedent cause of societal violence. Many individual, familial, and societal factors have greater impact on real-life violence. However, unlike exposure to violent media, many of these greater factors are irremediable.

As discussed previously, the GAM offers a complex biosocial-cognitive relationship to understand

Can media violence ever be cathartic?

Some have claimed (without evidence) that, by watching or playing violent media, aggression can be “purged.” This theory, first advanced by Aristotle in his Poetics, has never been substantiated by research.3

Why can Hollywood not change?

Well, follow the money. Video games, especially the popular violent games of the day (Call of Duty, Resident Evil, Mortal Combat, and so forth) are big money makers. A violent video game is defined as showing images of intentional harm to another. In 2018, the global video game industry generated nearly $135 billion, an increase of more than 10% from 2017.32 Americans spent more than $43 billion on video games in 2018, an major increase from $36 billion the previous year.32,33

As people have

Is witnessing real-life violence more harmful?

Yes. For both victims and witnesses of violence in childhood, studies show association of such exposure with subsequent trauma symptoms, including behavioral, learning, or emotional difficulties.35, 36, 37 However, this does not diminish the potential harm of viewing violent programs or playing violent games, especially for children and adolescents who live in dangerous homes or neighborhoods. When media violence reflects risks and experiences in real life, the impact logically may be increased.

What can parents do?

Parents can and should play the major role in mitigating the harmful effects of media in their children’s lives, as well as maximizing the benefits of positive, prosocial media. For decades, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has offered helpful advice to parents, focusing on limiting time spent with media, making wise media choices, avoiding media in bedrooms and at the dinner table, and coviewing programs and games. For these recommendations to be successful, the conversation must start

What can clinicians do?

Pediatricians and other health care providers should support and encourage parents to help their children navigate the media minefield from early childhood. In addition, because the media can affect virtually every area that physicians (and parents) are concerned about (eg, aggression, sex, substance use, obesity, eating disorders, depression, suicide, sleep, and school performance), clinicians must take on this challenge as well. Two salient questions are (1) how many hours daily do the

What can schools do?

Now often relying on technology for teaching and homework, schools are pivotal in encouraging healthy media use habits. As part of any health unit, teachers can highlight the association with media, including healthy eating, substance use, sexuality, and safety. This approach constitutes media literacy, and it may represent the new fourth “R” besides reading, writing, and arithmetic. Schools can also encourage students to use technology in creative, positive ways, such as creating apps, videos,

What can the government do?

Censorship is never the answer to concerns about media content, specifically about violent media. However, the government could and should facilitate research about the short-term and long-term outcomes of violent media exposure for children and teens. The government could easily fund a study section on children and media within the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), elsewhere in the National Institutes of Health (NIH), or within the Centers for Disease Control

Is media violence more harmful than media sex?

Parents and many professionals are far more concerned about sex than violence in the media, possibly reflecting the historically fraught relationship America has with normal, healthy sexuality and sexual behavior. Lack of comprehensive sex education in schools, refusal to provide birth control or condoms in schools and communities, and the incongruity of pornography available on every platform all define a society confused and fearful of sex. In his majority decision in the California video

I grew up watching violent television and movies; why am I not aggressive or violent?

Adults like to believe that they are immune to effects of media, including effects of media violence, advertising, and more. However, this is a perfect example of the third-person effect: everyone else is susceptible, but not me. Quantifying the impact of years of violent portrayals, on the news, in movies, on TV, cannot be done accurately, but imagine the steady drip, drip, drip of media violence, below a conscious level, but affecting people’s empathy and beliefs. As stated previously,

Are cartoons harmful?

Especially for young children with a less firm grip on reality versus fantasy, cartoon violence has potential harmful effects, just not as significantly as more realistic portrayals. Children learn from attractive characters, whether animal, person, or animated. Scripts for behavior may be accessible from a cartoon character. Cartoons feature plenty of violent scenes (eg, Road Runner and Wily Coyote, dying a thousand deaths) or poignant scenes (eg, Bambi, whose mother was shot and killed off

Is there such a thing as prosocial violence?

To date, there are no published studies addressing whether or not video game violence can be prosocial (modeling and teaching important life lessons about empathy and tolerance). Although numerous studies have documented that shows such as Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, and Sesame Street do encourage children to behave in prosocial ways, it is worthwhile noting that they are all explicitly nonviolent. Some children’s TV programs with violent content (superhero shows)

What did the United States Supreme Court have to say about media violence?

In 2011, a California case was heard by the Supreme Court to determine whether the sale of violent video games should be restricted. The court, voting 7 to 2, rejected the state’s argument that video game violence presented a risk to children.8 Invoking First Amendment protection, the Court opined that video game violence is protected speech and that the arguments to the contrary presented by California (research-based harm to children) did not represent convincing evidence. Per Justice Scalia:

Why is there not more research devoted to media effects?

The last serious US government–supported research on media effects on children and adolescents was published in a 1982 National Institute of Mental Health report. At present, dedicated funding for research in this area is lacking. An existing bill in Congress, although unlikely to pass, would provide more than $40 million over several years.45

The 10-year-long, NIH-sponsored Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (ABCD study) of children 9 to 10 years old correlated self-reported screen

Summary

Children and teens live in a media-saturated world. All types of media and platforms are now available, and video gaming continues to be very popular. Video games sales around the world reached $135 billion in 2018.32 Video games are entertaining and offer opportunities for learning and skill building. At the same time, decades of research finds an association between violence on TV and in movies and real-life childhood and adolescent aggression, both short and long term. Ninety percent of

Disclosure

The authors have nothing to disclose.

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