The Psychological Effects of Violent Media on Children

Media violence has often been associated with behavioral effects in children. Some studies show that increased exposure to violence in the media can lead to a heightened sense of aggression among children. However, many people may not realize that media violence can also impact children on an emotional and psychological level.

Apathy

• Apathy describes a psychological state in which a person has little interest or concern for many matters. The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood states that violent media may create a sense of emotional desensitization in children. This means that, when confronted with a violent situation in real life, such as news stories with tragic events, children may show little to no emotional reaction. Even their instinctive fight-or-flight response may be lessened. Joanne Cantor, Ph.D., a communications professor for 26 years, writes on her website Your Mind on Media that this desensitization can lead to children taking a longer time to report violence between peers, as well as reduced sympathy toward domestic abuse victims.

Heightened Anxiety

• According to Cantor, an internationally recognized authority on the psychology of media and communications, children exposed to high levels of violence in the media exhibit symptoms of higher anxiety than children who watch lower amounts of TV and are thus not exposed to as much violence. A study in 1998 surveyed more than 2,000 children in Ohio, ages 8 to 13, and found that those with higher amounts of TV viewed per week had higher incidents of psychological trauma symptoms. These include anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress. Children exposed to high levels of media violence on TV may experience a surge in disturbing nightmares and may also have lasting trauma. This is similar to people reporting that they avoid the ocean due to viewing the movie "Jaws" during childhood, or people who fear clowns because they saw the movie "It."

Fearful View of the World

• Mean World Syndrome is reportedly connected to an increase in media violence exposure. In this disorder, the child’s anxiety due to increased exposure to media violence on TV leads him to believe the views represented by the violence are akin to the way the entire world works. A statement given at the Congressional Public Health Summit in 2000 by the American Academy of Pediatrics, in conjunction with several other medical groups, states that overexposure to media violence can lead to children believing they may become victims of violence at any time. This creates a sense of fear toward other people and causes children to become more guarded and insecure.