NCJ Number
176190
Date Published
1996
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This review summarizes the relationship between criminal behavior and viewing violence in visual media and outlines the implications of these research findings for policies in Australia.
Abstract
The main research findings are that watching violence on the screen is related to increased aggression, desensitization to violence, and increased fear of crime and that violence in the media may contribute to violent crime, but it is not a single cause. In addition, some people may imitate what they see on television and video, although many do not. Moreover, the effects from on-screen violence can be short-term or long-term; children are most at risk from these effects. Appropriate policy responses can be grouped into three general areas: (1) policies that relate to the nature of material that is publicly available, classification issues, and regulatory enforcement; (2) policies that focus on adult community education and early childhood education; and (3) policies that focus on health promotion and primary health care and that consider violence a public health issue. 16 references