There has been a great deal of debate about the possible connection between violent behaviour in young people and their exposure to violent films, video games, TV programming and music.
Though a direct link between the two has not been conclusively proven, there's a growing consensus that exposure to violent entertainment is one of the variables to be considered, along with others, including family stability, learning disabilities and personality—when examining the behaviour of children and teens.
Kids are drawn to movies with scary themes, and watching "slasher" films is a rite of passage for teens and even younger kids. But being steadily exposed to violent images from an early age can have a lasting effect on young children. Studies have shown that 26 per cent of adults still have "residual anxiety" many years after viewing horror movies in childhood.
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Researchers have identified three ways in which children may respond to high levels of violence:
-Increased fear
-Desensitization to real-life violence
-Increased aggressive behaviour
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Because most homes today have VCRs, young people have easy access to movies with graphic and gratuitous violence. Most parents don't properly understand the ratings systems for films; and even when they do, kids can easily sneak into restricted films at the cinemas. (The design of most multiplexes makes it easy for kids to see the film of their choice once they've paid at the box office and many theatres don't bother to enforce ratings restrictions.)
As well, the media industries actively market violent entertainment to young children—as the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported in September 2000. The FTC studied 44 restricted films meant for adults, and discovered that 80 per cent were targeted to children under 17.
The study also showed that Hollywood routinely recruits teenagers and children (some as young as nine) to evaluate its story concepts, commercials, theatrical trailers and rough cuts—even for R-rated movies. TV promos for films are run during hours when young viewers are most likely to be watching; and R-rated films are advertised in youth magazines such as YM, Teen, and the Marvel comics. The study revealed that movie studios often target children as young as four with toy tie-ins for movies rated PG-13, and even R.
There's a reason why the movie industry produces so much violent fare: action films export well. Unlike dramas and comedies, which need expensive translation of their dialogue, action-packed movies make the transition to foreign languages and markets easily and cheaply. Even at home, their simplistic content means that violent films appeal to a broad range of ages. In North America and abroad, violence is profitable.
To limit children's exposure to violent and frightening movies, parents should:
- Explain clearly what your objections are to violent movies
- Establish family rules about what kind of movies are appropriate for what age
- Use our tip sheet Talking to Kids About Media Violence (see right sidebar) to discuss the different kinds of violence in films. Point out the distinction between realistic violence, which produces consequences (usually unpleasant), and gratuitous violence, which tends to glorify force as an appropriate response to conflict.
- Know the ratings for the movies your kids want to see (our Understanding the Rating Systems section explains the different classifications systems). Be aware, however, that ratings can be misleading. Many movies rated PG actually contain content that isn't suitable for young adolescents.
