The Effects of Media Violence on America’s Youth

Did you know that the average American witnesses more than 40,000 murders on TV by age 18? That‘s more than the number of meals the average person eating 3 meals a day would consume in 35 years. This means young people are viewing murders twice as often as they sit down to eat a meal. That doesn’t even include any of the other violent acts they have seen in the media.

With so much violence on TV and other media, the concern becomes its impact on today’s youth. It has been debated whether or not consistent exposure to media violence negatively affects adolescents. But there should be no debate. More than 1,000 scientific studies and reviews have concluded that this leads to more aggressive behavior in certain children. It also desensitizes them to violence and even makes them think the world is a meaner and scarier place.

So as a parent, what can you do?

The best way to protect your children is to be informed. Know your ratings and know what to look out for. Limit your children’s screen time and monitor what they are engaged in when using devices. This can help reduce the amount of violence and mature content to which they are exposed to. It also can decrease the chance of it negatively impacting their behavior and development.

Rawhide’s extensive infographic walks you through the different rating systems for various types of media. Use this information to equip yourself so you can guard your children from the potentially harmful influence of media violence.