Research shows that children who watch violence on television or play violent games can become violent themselves, according to Linda Inmon, an Extension specialist in human development at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.
Inmon also referred to a study by Vincent Matthews and colleagues at Indiana University who said changes in the brain occur when video games are played consistently over as little as a week, according to a news release. They found that those who played the violent video games showed less activity in areas that involved emotions, attention and self-control of impulses.
“It also showed a relationship between playing violent video games and changes in the brain’s function,” Inmon said. “Dr. Matthews also found that the brain did not return to its previous state of normalcy even after refraining from violent video games for a week,” she said.
The same research reported violent game players had decreased activity in the parts of the brain that regulate attention and concentration.
Scientists at Columbia University Medical Center in New York suggest that a brain network responsible for suppressing behaviors such as inappropriate or unwarranted aggression became less active after study subjects watched several short clips from popular movies portraying acts of violence, Inmon said.
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The American Academy of Pediatrics has reported that research has associated exposure to media violence with a variety of physical and mental health problems for children and adolescents including aggressive and violent behavior, bullying, becoming desensitized to violence, fear, depression, nightmares and sleep disturbances, she said.
“Children ages 8 and younger cannot distinguish between fiction and reality and are more vulnerable to the effects of media violence. Even though adolescents and young adults can discern fiction from reality, it does not provide immunization from the effects of media violence,” according to experts.
“But, there are some things parents can do about exposure to violence and its effects,” Inmon said. “They can follow the guidelines outlined by the American Academy of Pediatrics which include removing the television from a child’s bedroom; limiting screen time to no more than two hours per day; talking with your children about appropriate behavior; and eliminating violent games, television shows and music.”
“A key component to successfully reducing aggressive behaviors and violence in children is parental awareness of the effect on children of observing and participating in violent acts,” Inmon said.
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— Carol Sanders is a writer/editor with the UAPB School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences.