“A lot of parents just kind of throw up their hands and sort of say ‘it’s too difficult,’ when in fact it’s not that awfully difficult, although it certainly takes some effort,” Anderson said. For example, Anderson advises parents to set limits on what movies their kids can watch.
“I enjoy the occasional violent movie myself and I’m frequently appalled at parents who bring their children to movies that are clearly not appropriate for them,” Anderson said. In their report, the commission stated violent images can act as “triggers” for activating aggressive thoughts and feelings already stored in memory.
If the aggressive thoughts and feelings are activated over and over again, because of repeated exposure to media violence, they become chronically accessible, and thus more likely to influence behavior.
The commission suggests more effort is needed to improve movie and video game ratings, classifications and public education about the effects of media on children. Anderson said that effort should be led by an independent entity – rather than an industry-influenced group.
Links
- Report of the Media Violence Commission - http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ab.21443/full
- International Society for Research on Aggression (IRSA) - http://www.israsociety.com/
- Special commission on media violence confirms aggression link, includes ISU professor - http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2012/08/23/violence
- Aggression and media violence - new study - http://www.bps.org.uk/news/study-links-media-violence-and-aggression
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