I saw a fascinating episode of Frontline on our local PBS affiliate last night. It was entitled, “Inside the Teenage Brain.” In typical PBS fashion, you can find a tremendous amount of related information at their site including a viewable version of the entire episode!

One insight that I learned from this broadcast was that the average teenager gets only 7.5 hours sleep and they need 9.25 hours. This “sleep debt” makes focusing and studying even more difficult. Another observation that came out of research referenced in this program was teenagers’ misinterpretation of facial expressions. It appears that the adolescent brain interprets visual displays of emotion in different areas than the adult brain. Because of this, it processes the visual stimuli differently and reaches conclusions which are inconsistent with what adult brains understand.

There is some wonderful information in this program and one of the final messages that they share with the viewer is that in spite of teenagers’ erratic emotions and potentially abrasive behavior, they really want contact with their parents. Sometimes they don’t know how to say this and their desire for independence makes it difficult for them to express it.

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The National Institute on Media and the Family issued its annual report card for the gaming industry yesterday. It noted a number of areas where the industry had regressed compared to advances made in previous years. You can download the report from this page on their site.

I believe that many of their observations are valid, but a few may be skewed. The most prevalent theme throughout the report is their concern with violent media. Though they recognize the maturation of the game-playing public in one sentence, they criticize the industry for making mature titles in another. The fact is that the violence in many of these games is less graphic than content in R-rated movies (which also are targeted to a 17+ year old demographic).

At one point toward the end of the report I found myself a little confused and I re-read a paragraph a few times to try to get my brain wrapped around the logic. Having not read the original book which they cited as research, I don’t know if this assertion is from NIMF or the researchers themselves. On page 14 in the second paragraph under the “Content” sub-heading of the “Research” section, the report cites the book, Violent Video Game Effects on Children and Adolescents: Theory, Research, and Public Policy. In this paragraph they state:

Yet, both children and college students were more aggressive to others after playing the aggressive game, even though it did not include what most parents would consider “violent” content. It is important to remember that aggression is typically defined as intentional harm to victims, and not by how graphic it looks.

Correct me if I’m wrong (and chime in below), but according to this, the children and college students intentionally harmed others after playing this game. They define aggression as intentionally harming victims after stating that they players were more aggressive to others after playing the game. Really?

I have no doubt that media can influence behavior and significantly impact the viewer/player. I believe that this is a given. I’ve laughed and cried during films. I have friends who have yelled at their televisions in disgust when characters in their favorite show behave ignorantly. I have witnessed smack talk and elevated emotional reactions during competitive videogame sessions as well. However, I have witnessed all of this behavior during any number of events including baseball games, debate tournaments, and live music concerts. The fact is that we are emotional creatures and we react to input - virtual and real. Our media merely extend our experiential realm. As parents, we need to make sure that our children’s experiences are appropriate for their level of maturity.

Having said that, in spite of any concern I have with specific observations within this report, I whole-heartedly agree with their conclusion which states:

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In a special December supplement of the Journal of Adolescent Health, a number of articles focus on media impact on violence. The suppliment entitled Youth Violence and Electronic Media: Similar Behaviors, Different Venues? is available is available online for free here.

There are a number of interesting articles focused on electronic-mediated bullying and harassment. Though much of this is not focused on gaming in general, these are important and relevant studies to parents. Noted in one of the studies was the fact that approximately 50% of the victims of “online social cruelty” did not know who the bully was. Thus, technology provides the method and opportunity for adolescents to remain anonymous while being hurtful to their peers.

Closer to home is this article on the effects of media violence. In this case, the researcher L. Rowell Huesmann, Ph.D. states that exposure to electronic media violence conclusively “increases the likelihood of aggressive behavior.” This is reinforced with a bar graph that notes the significance of known health threats and places “Media violence and aggression” second only to “Smoking and lung cancer” and above “Condom use and sexually transmitted HIV.”

Whether or not you agree with all of the observations and conclusions presented here, there is some important work and significant data worth noting. If for no other reason than to increase our awareness as parents. Because knowing what to look for helps us better to guide and inspire our children.

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This article in the November issue of the journal Pediatrics identifies a link between viewing violent content and aggressive behavior. In particular, boys ages 2-4 who view violent video content or play violent videogames are predisposed to antisocial behavior evident five years later (ages 7-9).

Interestingly, there was virtually no correlation for the girls of the same age in this study. The researchers suggest that this could be attributed to the difference in socialization between genders.

Special thanks to avid reader David Stoddard for the info!

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GamePolitics brought our attention to this gem. Canadian researcher Richard Tremblay has invested some time in studying a fairly large group of children to identify the roots of physical aggression. How much time you ask? 20 years. How many participants in the study? 35,000.

According to the original article in Scientific American, Tremblay notes that violence is a part of human development. It is through socialization that we minimize the need to revert to violence. However, individuals who have trouble communicating with those around them are more predisposed to utilize violence as a form of expression. The observable behavior is one of chronic aggression. However, Tremblay noted that these individuals have less expressed genes. Therefore, these behavior patterns are not caused by exposure to violent media.

Though this is just one of many studies, it is truly significant due to its longevity and the number of participants. Yet, I wouldn’t use this as an excuse to let my 4-year-old watch Apocolypse Now or play Resistance: Fall of Man.

What are your thoughts? Join the conversation below!

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