Media Violence

Jeannie Rosenberg

Physicians for Survival

Halifax, N.S.Sept 2008

Competing interests

• None identified.

Does Media Violence Affect Children’s Behaviour?

What Evidence Do We Have?

What Theories of Causation ?

What Can Be Done About It?

Does Media Violence Affect Children’s Behaviour?

Yes

Evidence

• Laboratory studies-copying; increased aggressive acts after watching

shows

• Field Studies

-increased TV watching > subsequent aggression than the reverse (Singer and Singer)

• Epidemiological studies

• High TV/High aggression

• Low TV/High aggression

• High TV/Low aggression

• Low TV/Low aggression

Evidence

• Laboratory studies -copying

• Field Studies

- more TV / more aggressive

• Epidemiological studies- “Notel” study

“The strength of the correlation between media violence and aggressive behaviour found on meta-analysis is greater than than that of calcium intake and bone mass, lead ingestion and lower IQ, condom nonuse and sexually acquired human immunodeficiency virus infection, or environmental tobacco smoke and lung cancer, which clinicians accept and on which preventive medicine is based without question.”

American Academy of Pediatrics, 2001

Why?

Learning

• Cognitive Scripts

• Reinforcement

• Volume

1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000

100

0

50 1950 – 9%

1978 – 98%

• Is our world more dangerous?

• Are we more aware of dangers?

• Do we perceive the world as more dangerous than it really is?

“Mean World Syndrome”

• The more TV you watch, the more you think your neighbourhood is more dangerous than it actually is.

Video Games

Taboo against killing

Distance yourself from the enemy

-Physically and psychologically

Drill

Censorship

Who? How?

• High TV/High aggression

• Low TV/High aggression

• High TV/Low aggression

• Low TV/Low aggression

War as Illness

1. Primary prevention

2. Secondary prevention

3. Tertiary prevention

Wrap-up

• Media violence affects children

• Our view of how dangerous the world is, is largely coloured by TV

• Censorship is fraught with difficulty

• The public needs to be more informed

• Children should be taught non-violent conflict resolution