The damaging effect of media violence on young children

Session at Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting to focus on reducing aggression and violence in video games and media

2014-05-06

(Press-News.org) VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA – Research has demonstrated a link between screen violence and real-world aggression, both in traditional media like violent movies and in newer media including first-person shooter games. Minimizing exposure to virtual violence will not completely eliminate acts of aggression, but it is an important strategy to investigate, according to experts presenting a session on the topic Tuesday, May 7, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) Annual Meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Scientists, pediatricians, clinicians, and advocates of reducing media violence will gather for a state-of-the-art plenary session. Leading researchers will discuss the ongoing controversy about the role that screen violence plays in real-world aggression, and ways to address the public health implications.

"Exposure to media violence in all forms increases the risk of real-world aggression," said plenary chair, Dimitri Christakis, MD, MPH, FAAP, of Seattle Children's Research Institute. "The recent epidemic of mass shootings and latest Supreme Court ruling striking down a California law banning the sale of mature video games to minors is disturbing, and the reason why additional research is critical in understanding the existing evidence."

The plenary is from 9:45-11:45 a.m. in the Vancouver Convention Centre. Topics and presenters include:

"Overview of Violence and Children," presented by Frederick P. Rivara, Seattle Children's Hospital "Video Game Violence," presented by Craig A. Anderson, Iowa State University "Screen Violence," presented by Dimitri Alexander Christakis, Seattle Children;s Research Institute

INFORMATION: The Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) are four individual pediatric organizations that co-sponsor the PAS Annual Meeting – the American Pediatric Society, the Society for Pediatric Research, the Academic Pediatric Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Members of these organizations are pediatricians and other health care providers who are practicing in the research, academic and clinical arenas. The four sponsoring organizations are leaders in the advancement of pediatric research and child advocacy within pediatrics, and all share a common mission of fostering the health and well-being of children worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.pas-meeting.org. Follow news of the PAS meeting on Twitter at http://twitter.com/PedAcadSoc.

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