Is media violence linked to violence in society?

A recent review in The Lancet suggests that, in the short term at least, and among younger children, exposure to violent television programmes and films may lead to effects on arousal, thoughts and emotions.

Kevin Brown and Catherine Hamilton-Giachritsis looked at research from the USA and found consistent evidence that violent imagery in television, film, video and computer games has substantial short-term effects in younger children, particularly boys. However, the results become equivocal for older children and teenagers and over the long-term for all ages.

However, an editorial in the same issue of the journal asks the question - just how much of a public health risk does the exposure to violence present and can the current evidence present real guidance? At present, there is certainly no evidence that individuals exposed to media violence go on to commit crimes. The editorial points out that the current studies are small, with non-representative samples. The focus is on finding actual harm and there is very little evidence for this. The reasons for violence are multifactorial - seldom arising from a single factor and it is possible that inherently violent individuals may seek out violent media. The politicisation of violence in the USA has led governments to 'talk tough on media violence', which is a lot easier than changing gun laws.

The conclusion is that, at present, there is little evidence to devise recommendations for public health and future research should focus on identifying higher risk groups among children, such as those with depression, different cultural approaches to portayed violence and play patterns in juvenile offenders.