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Vancouver BC is experiencing a wave of gang violence, with 18 gang related killings in February 2009. While the body count continues to rise, taking necessary time to reflect on the causes of violent behavior, might help health and education sectors to plan safe, healthy and sustainable futures for children. This article reports current research on the causes of aggression and violent behavior in children and adolescents, and offers parents and health and education sectors immediate and effective prevention initiatives.

In the United States, the Academies of Pediatricians, Physicians, Psychologists and Psychiatrists have recently classified media violence found in TV, movies, video games and the internet as a public health risk, second only to the impact of cigarette smoking on lung cancer. Yet in Canada, we laughingly read about fun ways to give our children permission to kill. A recent Globe and Mail article titled “The Art of Playing Nice” http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090303.wlvideogame03/BNStory/lifeFamily/home reported an innovative strategy where two parents applied the Geneva Convention to their son when he played violent video games – he had to stop shooting when the victim was dead. A recent Fifth Estate episode on the Brandon Crisp tragedy titled “Top Gun” http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/2008-2009/top_gun/video.html showed a video gamer stating “I like to keep shooting, even when their dead.” While the Fifth Estate looked toward the gaming manufacturers to regulate this growing concern, what also are the responsibilities of the parents when it comes to allowing their child to learn and practice killing? Are not the parents ultimately responsible for their children’s activities? For over 30 years, research has continued to show a strong causal relationship between media violence and child aggression, yet parents continue to buy their children the latest and greatest new age techno toy. Why is this?

In numerous workshops I’ve given across North America, I’ve heard that parents actually may think their children prefer a glow box to quality time spent with their child, that somehow technology can replace the love and companionship of responsible parenting. We only have to look to the tragic event that happened in Ontario, where Brandon Crisp rode into the woods, fell out of a tree, and died after his Dad took away his X-Box. When his body was found three weeks later, dead from a chest injury sustained by a fall out of a tree, did anyone think about why Brandon ran away from home, and why he didn’t just go to a friend’s house to continue to play video games instead? Why did Brandon ride his bike 5 kilometers into the woods in subzero weather, and then climb to the upper reaches of a tree? Although the Fifth Estate feature was primarily on Brandon Crisp, they never once addressed this glaring question. Every person reading this article should stop right now, close their eyes, and offer a tribute to Brandon and his family, who have suffered horribly to bring us this amazing gift. The Crisp’s have literally given their lives so that we as a society can put in place rules, regulations, and programs to ensure our children are safe.

Our children need us. Our children want their parent’s attention, love and discipline…they want human reality, not a cold and lonely virtual world. At an average 8 hours per day combined technology use, today’s children are rapidly and permanently rewiring their neural circuitry to not need human connection, or teachers or parents. A brain hard wired for high speed, social isolation and desensitization to violence and killing, is rapidly destroying family structure, the education system, and society as we know it. We can turn this around. Working together as a community team, parents, health and education professionals, and government can start to formulate initiatives to reclaim our children. Helping children to identify alternate activities to technology, and working to encourage development of performance skills, will achieve a confident, health and happy future world leader. Creating Balanced Technology Management initiatives in communities, schools, home and at work, will ensure sustainable futures for all children.

Zone’in Programs Inc. offers the Unplug’in Game to build child performance skills, and the Live’in Resource Guide to plan Balanced Technology Management initiatives.

Media Violence

• Violent media is a public health threat. A review of 50 years of research on the impact of violence in TV, movies, videogames and internet concludes that watching media violence significantly increases the risk that a viewer or videogame player will behave aggressively in both the short and the long term. 60% of TV programs contain violence and 40% contain heavy violence. Most videogames contain violence. Authors state the impact of violent electronic media on public health is second only to the impact of cigarette smoking on lung cancer (1).
• In the short term, media violence can increase aggression by priming aggressive thoughts and decision processes increasing physiological arousal, and triggering a tendency to imitate observed behaviors. In the long-term, repeated exposure can produce lasting increases in aggressive thought patterns and aggression-supporting beliefs about social behaviors, and can reduce individuals normal negative emotional responses to violence (2).
• Studies regarding the effects of violent video games on children found even violent cartoons increased aggression in 9-12 year old children. Violence is defined as doing intentional harm to another, not how graphic or gory the game is. Increased exposure to violent videogames results in more pro-violent attitudes, hostile personalities, less forgiveness, belief that violence is typical, and causes children to behave more aggressively in their every day life (3).
• Young children are most vulnerable to media violence as they are more impressionable, can’t distinguish between fantasy and reality, cannot discern motives for violence, and learn by observing and imitating (4).

Cyberbullying

• Survey of 3,767 grade 6, 7, 8 students who attended six schools in the US found 11% had been electronically bullied and 4% indicated they had bullied a victim in the past month. Half of the electronic bully victims reported not knowing the perpetrator’s identity (5).
• Youth who reported being harasses online were 8 times more likely to carry a weapon to school in the past 30 days (6).
• While online cyberbullying occurs off campus, resulting altercations happen on site (7).
• Internet bullying is correlated with school behavior problems, and media literacy programs may mitigate the negative effects of electronic media on youth (8).

1. Huesmann LR. The Impact of Electronic Media Violence: Scientific Theory and Research. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2007; 41: S6-13.
2. Anderson CA, Berkowitz, L, Donnerstein E, Huesmann LR, Johnson JD, Linz D, Malamuth NM, Wartella E. The Influence of Media Violence on Youth. Psychological Science in the Public Interest. 2003; 4:81-110.
3. Anderson C, Gentile D. Violent Video Game effects on Children and Adolescents. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2007.
4. Buchanan AM, Gentile DA, Nelson DA, Walsh DA, Hensel J. What goes in must come out: Children’s Media Violence Consumption at Home and Aggressive Behaviours at School. Paper presented at the International Society for the Study of Behavioural Development Conference, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Available online at: www.mediafamily.org/research/report_issbd_2002.shtml.
5. Kowalski RM, Limber SP. Electronic Bullying Among Middle School Students. Journal of Adolescent Jealth. 2007; 41:S22-30.
6. Ybarra ML, Diener-West M, Leaf PJ. Examining the Overlap in Internet Harassment and School Bullying: Implications for School Intervention. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2007; 41:S42-S50.
7. Willard NE. The Authority and Responsibility of School Officials in Responding to Cyberbullying. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2007; 41:S64-65.
8. Worthen MR. Education Policy Implications from the Expert Panel on Electronic Media and Youth Violence. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2007; 41:S61-63.