Common Sense Media recently concluded surveying over 1000 parents about whether they believe certain influences are likely to push, or contribute towards, violent actions in children.
Here are the relevant findings of their survey:
- 84% of parents thought an advertisement (that was shown to them) of Hitman: Absolution was inappropriate to air on TV during times children may be watching.
- 89% think violence in today’s video games is a problem.
- 75% think violent video games contribute to violence.
The last statistic is what’s going to really test gamers’ nerves. After all, there’s never been a conclusive, accepted study that has found a correlation between violent video games and violent behaviors. To help contextualize this number, it’s worth noting that 77% of parents thought violent TV and movies contribute to violent behavior. This is surprising, since video games have easily come under much more heat in the past for displaying edgy content than TV, or movies. But, instead of ending this article on a relaxed note, I’d like to point out that an equal amount of parents (75%) thought that the easy availability of guns contributes to violent behavior in children. So, essentially, if Pops leaves a DualShock 3, and a loaded handgun on the living room table, then it doesn’t really matter which one Timmy the toddler reaches for, because violent gaming is obviously just as potentially dangerous as easily accessible weapons.
Do you think violent video games are making children more violent? Sound off in the comments below by punching a baby.
