Media Violence Effects

Kevin G. Buckler & Steve Wilson

As media technology has advanced, the issue of media violence and its effects on human behavior has become an important issue of concern for policy makers. The issue of media violence has garnered significant attention from the United States Congress. In 2000, for example, representatives of six different public health organizations (American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Psychological Association, American Psychiatric Association, American Academy of Family Physicians, and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry) signed a joint statement delivered to the Congressional Public Health Summit arguing that “television, movies, music, and interactive games are powerful learning tools and highly influential media” (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2000). The joint statement also asserted that prior research has “point[ed] overwhelmingly to a causal connection between media violence and aggressive behavior in some children.” Claims that violent media consumption has led to an increase in violent and aggressive behavior has ...

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