How dangerous are video games?

Video games are very dangerous. According to Professor Brad Bushman of Iowa State University “The correlation between violent media and aggression is larger than the correlation between exposure to lead and decreased I.Q. levels in kids. . . . It’s larger than the effects of exposure to asbestos. It’s larger than the effect of secondhand smoke on cancer.” That’s pretty big.

There are over 1,000 other studies that support the conclusion that when children watch violent media, they become more aggressive. On the other hand, aggression can be decreased by as much as 25% simply by decreasing the amount of television and movie violence the child sees. Pediatricians and psychiatrists explain that while most adults can distinguish media images from real images, due to left hemisphere immaturity and lack of life experiences, a child’s brain can’t put the images into context.

In long-term studies from New York, heavy TV watchers were more likely to act in aggressive ways, and in separate studies scientists got similar results when they studied the effects of violent video games or songs with violent lyrics. It all goes back to the simple idea of building blocks: You get out what you put in. If you view a steady diet of violence, you accept violence in thought and possibly in action. Playing violent video games is dangerous. Do the best you can to guard the images and behaviors that go into the building blocks of your child’s mind.

Learn more about how screen time affects your child (and what you can do about it) by clicking here to see your options.