SelfhelpMagazine

Over several decades of research has shown that children's exposure to violence in the mass media may desensitize them to violence, lead to increases in aggressive attitudes, values and behaviors and may have long-lasting effects on behavior and personality. In short, media violence can have profoundly negative effects on children.

As long ago as 1994, the American Psychological Association passed a resolution stating that viewing violence in the mass media can produce aggressive and violent behaviors in children who are susceptible to such effects. The resolution encourages parents to monitor and supervise television, video, and computer game use by children.

The same resolution supported the use of warning labels for violent materials and the development of technologies that block the broadcast of certain programming. It also called upon the television and film industry to reduce direct violence in programming.

As the Federal Trade Commission report suggests, the industry's practice of marketing programming that is inappropriate for children to children is a cause for concern.

Intrusive marketing that exposes young children to violence or entices a teenager to seek out entertainment that is not appropriate for them is clearly a problem for parents and families. Such marketing has the potential to undermine the very rating system designed to assist parents and protect kids from inappropriate viewing and games playing.

This information received from the American Psychological Association (APA), in Washington, DC.