Psychology. The effects of media violence on society

Concerns about the negative effects of prolonged exposure to violent television programming emerged shortly after broadcasting began in 1946. By 1972 sufficient empirical evidence had accumulated for the U.S. Surgeon General to comment that "...televised violence, indeed, does have an adverse e...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2002-03, Vol.295 (5564), p.2377-2379
Main Authors: Anderson, Craig A, Bushman, Brad J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Aggression
aggressive behavior
Humans
Longitudinal Studies
Social Problems
Television
Time Factors
Violence
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Summary:Concerns about the negative effects of prolonged exposure to violent television programming emerged shortly after broadcasting began in 1946. By 1972 sufficient empirical evidence had accumulated for the U.S. Surgeon General to comment that "...televised violence, indeed, does have an adverse effect on certain members of our society". Other scientific bodies have come to similar conclusions. Six major professional societies in the United States--the American Psychological Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the American Psychiatric Association--recently concluded that "the data point overwhelmingly to a causal connection between media violence and aggressive behavior in some children". In a report on page 2468 of this issue, Johnson and colleagues present important evidence showing that extensive TV viewing among adolescents and young adults is associated with subsequent aggressive acts.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.1070765