Media Violence and Children

Book excerpt: The foremost experts in the field of media violence research present a broad range of approaches and findings to confirm what has long been suspected: media violence has profoundly negative effects on children. The contributors share concise and readable summaries of the most recent research--along with research conducted over the past 40 years--regarding the effects of violence in various media, including: television, film, video games, music, and the Internet. Scientifically documented negative effects on children include the aggressor effect, the victim effect, the bystander effect, and the appetite effect. Future steps to reduce the danger of media violence are also presented. This cross-disciplinary approach to media violence offers readers the most complete, up-to-date, and holistic understanding of the topic. Gentile and his contributors also examine and debunk long-held misconceptions about media violence, explaining the specific nature and unquestionable power of the negative effects.