Health
Advocates Stand Against Violence
By Sam Parker,
GameSpot PC © 2000
posted on: 07/27/00 - 05:45 pm pdt
Four national health
organizations issue a consensus statement linking
violent behavior and violent content in movies, music,
and games.
In a two-page statement yesterday,
four national health organizations asserted that there
is a strong consensus in the public health community
that violent entertainment can increase violent
behavior in young people. While the report bases its
overall findings on studies focused on violent content
in television, movies, and music, it does state that
games may have a negative impact that is
"significantly more severe" than other
media.
The statement outlines several key
ways in which it is believed that violent content can
have an adverse effect on behavior: by making children
more likely to view violence as an effective way of
settling conflicts; by leading to emotional
desensitization toward violence in real life; and by
feeding a perception that the world is a violent and
mean place. Additionally, the report asserts that
"children exposed to violent programming at a
young age have a higher tendency for violent and
aggressive behavior later in life than children who
are not so exposed."
The report was endorsed by the
American Medical Association, the American Academy of
Pediatrics, the American Psychological Association,
and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent
Psychiatry.
You can find the entire document in
PDF format here.
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