I am a parent. I am a physician though not a pediatrician or psychiatrist. However, over the last several years, I have been honored to speak to hundreds of folks in various medical communities and conferences on the topic of violence and media.
Like me, you probably felt heartsick by the school shooting of this Valentine's Day, but not really surprised. Isn't that sad? Since the 1990s, the incidence of these rampage (school) shootings has risen. In cowardly attacks like these, a murderer kills as many victims as quickly as possible and often commits suicide. Why are these shootings happening now? Why are they increasing in frequency and severity?
I read a news bulletin noting that lawmakers have debated the role of violent video games and rampage shootings "since the 1990s." True, FBI profiles of these perpetrators reveal their excessive interest in media violence and first-person shooter video games. On the other hand, the debate about the influence of media violence in the real world has been ongoing for decades. Wait "debate" is the wrong word. In medical and scientific communities, the issue has been settled. Over the last 65 years, hundreds of studies with thousands of patients consistently report the many ways that media violence exposure is harmful for children:
-1950s - Congressional hearings report media violence is probably harmful.
-1960s - National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence finds TV violence "real contributor to real world violence."
-1972 - U.S. Surgeon General reports a causal relationship between viewing violence and aggressive behavior.
-1992 - Journal of the American Medical Association study declares: "If television technology had never been developed, today there would be 10,000 fewer murders each year , 70,000 fewer rapes, and 700,00 fewer injurious assaults."
-2000 - Joint statement from top medical societies affirms conclusions above.
In spite of the extensive research, the violent content in media continues to increase while average child screen time is now up to 49 hours per week. With the rising popularity of video games, studies are consistently showing related problems of desensitization to violence, decreased empathy, increased aggression and video game addiction.
Ask your pediatrician about video game addiction problems (like a child needing bladder surgery because he refused to break from his first-person shooter game to use the bathroom).
The concept of training always seems to be dismissed when it comes to violent video games. Remember, video games are now the best way to learn a language (Rosetta Stone) and the "fastest" way to learn guitar (RockSmith). Video game simulators are essential for airline, surgical, military and police training. Similarly, they have been studied to be effective in training skills required for mass shooting (e.g., target acquisition, response time) without any training in consequences. We see real life proof in imitative behavior in shooting events, even down to choice of weapons (i.e., assault rifles).
There are many arguments you will hear as to why what I am sharing is untrue. Many will shift blame to mental health systems failures or inadequacies, home-life problems, socioeconomic disparities, access to guns and others. For sure, there are some very serious problems in these areas. Those also need to be addressed. But argue what you will, the science demonstrating a causative relationship between media violence and real world violence is very solid. It's even logical.
Young people with developing brains spend an excessive amount of screen time learning and rehearsing violence and murder; a small number of at-risk young people take digital experiences to extremes - violence, suicide, murder and even rampage shootings. This doesn't mean that all children who grow up with violent media become rampage shooters or even bad citizens. But decades of research demonstrate that a portion of aggression and violence seen in our society would not be present if we curbed violent media exposure for children.
This conclusion is not based on a single study or group of studies - it's like a scale with evidence weighing on each side of a cultural debate. Evidence demonstrating many different kinds of harm from childhood exposure to media violence mightily outweighs the noisier opposition. Violent media is a piece of a very complex puzzle; it's an important piece.
Major newspaper articles and entertainment blogs regularly dismiss the relationship between media violence exposure and negative behaviors. For example, it is commonly reported that countries that have similar or higher rates of video game play such as Japan have dramatically lower incidents of rampage shooting. There. It's settled. There is no relationship. Have these reports considered the fact that first-person shooter games are unpopular in most Asian countries? Asian video game companies do not typically produce these ultra-violent games as they are culturally unpopular.
On that note, have you ever wondered why Americans get so emotional and angry arguing against these findings? It reminds me of the debate from the 1950s that cigarettes were not harmful. The public did not want to believe that smoking was harmful because smoking is enjoyable and addicting. Big tobacco guarded profits by keeping scientific research hushed.
We don't want to believe that violent entertainment is harmful because we like it. We are addicted to it. Many studies demonstrate how violent video games stimulate the brain in ways similar to other addictions like alcohol, drugs and pornography. The games are designed to be addictive. Still, the Entertainment Merchants Association (http://www.entmerch.org/) and Entertainment Software Association (www.theesa.com/) work very hard to create artificial controversy and ensure that profits of a $35 billion industry don't suffer. They're winning. The ultraviolent Grand Theft Auto V had $1 billion in sales three days after release.
I've played this game, it's terrible. Every day citizens frequently argue, "I grew up watching Kill Bill, playing Halo and Call of Duty, and I would never kill anyone. I'm fine." I watched these movies; I avidly played these games. I was a "gamer." I'm fine, too. Good for them - good for me! Many of our parents and grandparents survived to adulthood while addicted to cigarettes and not using seatbelts. Still, we now know that both of these behaviors are unsafe. The fact that most violent-video-game players do not become school shooters, felons or social outcasts does not nullify the critical impact of media violence on our society.
Perhaps now you're skeptical or maybe wondering what you should do. Please look up the research for yourself. There is a small amount of low quality research which contradicts everything I've told you; it has been positioned to be easily found. Furthermore, many of the highest quality studies are only available to those who have access to a library with scientific journal subscriptions.
Still, I urge you to look at quality research of physicians and scientists; visit http://www.med.umich.edu/yourchild/topics/tv.htm. Review position statements on media from major medical societies (e.g., American Academy of Pediatrics and American Association of Family Physicians).
If you're inspired to do something, start with your own children or your own school system. Read "Stop Teaching Our Kids to Kill" by Col. David Grossman, and then give it to your teenager. (Grossman had an impressive career in the U.S. Army and is a researcher, author, speaker and world expert in the psychology of killing.) Share research and get behind efforts to decrease child exposure to harmful media violence. Studies show that when these steps are taken, there are numerous beneficial effects for our children including better attention span, better grades, decreased obesity, decreased smoking/drinking and decreased aggression on the playground and classroom.
Physicians also are concerned about this issue. Last year, we passed a resolution at the Tennessee Medical Association meeting to encourage state legislators to take serious steps to decrease childhood media violence exposure. We are working on this issue locally. My sincere hope is that our resolution will be presented soon for decision and action by state legislators.
Dr. Caleb Steffen, who is completing his residency training in plastic surgery in Chattanooga, has extensively researched the influence of media violence on real-world behavior. Contact him at caleb.steffen.md@gmail.com.