Violent films, video games and TV shows DO make boys aggressive, study finds

Watching violent video games, films and TV shows really can make children more aggressive, scientists believe.

And the more violent the scenes and the longer they last, the more normal the behaviour seems.

In the most comprehensive study to date looking at the link between on screen and real life violence, scientists got a group of boys aged 14 to 17 to watch a series of video clips while using scans to study their brain activity.
Violent computer game

Threat: Violent computer games and TV programmes could make boys turn a blind eye to real violence

The results were striking. The longer the youths watched the brutality, which included football hooliganism and street brawls, the less their brains lit up. 'Sweat tests' showed that they also became less excited by the action over time.

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However, videos with little or no violence held the boys' attention - suggesting the lack of interest in the violent films was not due to boredom but to their minds becoming desensitised, or numb, to the action.

The US government researchers said this could lead to them becoming more likely to turn a blind eye to violence - and to commit offences themselves.

Study leader Dr Jordan Grafman, of the National Institutes of Health at Bethesda, Maryland, said: 'It is especially important to understand this because adolescence is a time when the brain is changing and developing, particularly in the parts of the brain that control emotions, emotional behaviour and responses to external events.

'Most people can distinguish between playing a video game and real live behaviour, but given the right circumstances where the rules are a bit more ambiguous (what if a bully provokes me) and provocative (someone is trying to take my lunch money), would an adolescent tend to be more aggressive and accept that aggression as normal behaviour given prior exposure to video games?

'I think so. Particularly if they are a heavy user of games and, in our device-driven world, that will be more and more likely in the future.'
Violent computer game

Behavioural problems: The games could lead children to committing offences

Dr Grafman said: 'The implications of this are many and include the idea that continued exposure to violent videos will make an adolescent less sensitive to violence, more accepting of violence and more likely to commit aggressive acts since the emotional component associated with aggression is reduced and normally acts as a brake on aggressive behaviour.

'No prior study has examined this from the complete perspective we had.'

The study also found boys who had the most exposure to violent media in their daily lives, as measured by screening tests and questions in their initial meeting with the researchers, showed the greatest desensitisation.

Although the study only looked a boys, the researchers suspect girls might not react in the same way, as they tend to be less violent in general.

Writing in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, they concluded: 'We propose that exposure to aggressive media results in a blunting of emotional responses, which in turn may prevent the connection of consequences of aggression with an appropriate emotional response, and therefore may increase the likelihood that aggression is seen as acceptable behaviour.'

Previous research has shown that even cartoon violence can affect children's behaviour and last year, the father of murdered schoolboy Damilola Taylor called on the Government to impose high taxes on violent video games that can inspire street attacks.

Richard Taylor said he was 'saddened' when he saw youngsters buying games that had a 'negative impact' on their behaviour.

The sale of video games with 'gross violence' is regulated by the British Board of Film Classification. But from next year, the industry will decide which age groups they are suitable for.

Source
Fiona Macrae
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1321627/Violent-films-video-games-TV-shows-DO-make-boys-aggressive.html