Media Violence and Adam Lanza

On December 19, 2012, 20-year-old Adam Lanza went to Sandy Hook Elementary School, armed with 30-round magazines for a .223-caliber rifle, as well as several other weapons. Around 9:30 a.m., he blasted through the locked front entrance and proceeded to fire 154 rounds from the rifle. In less than 10 minutes, Lanza had killed 26 children and staff members, and then took his own life. Prior to the shooting, no one seemed to recognize that Lanza was dangerously unstable. However, in retrospect, there were several aspects of his lifestyle that may have contributed to the tragedy.

Adam Lanza was known as a loner. He spent much of his time alone in his bedroom, of which the windows were covered with black trash bags for the last few months of his life. He did not allow anyone in his room, including his mother. In 2005, Lanza was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, a variant of autism. Though there is no evidence to support that people with Asperger’s are more likely to be perpetrators of violent crime, this diagnosis along with other factors may be key to understanding what happened at Sandy Hook. In addition to being a loner with poor social skills, Lanza also spent a significant amount of time playing violent video games. According to police reports documenting the Lanza house after the shooting, games such as “Call of Duty” and “School Shooting” were found in the residence. In games like “Call of Duty,” the player becomes the shooter, whose vantage point is from behind a gun. This first-person experience also dehumanizes the enemy, possibly leading to desensitization to violent crime.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, American children 8 to 10 years of age spend close to 8 hours per day using a variety of media, while older children and teenagers spend greater than 11 hours per day. Today, the average child spends more time using different types of media than he does in school. About 84% of children and teenagers have access to the Internet, and nearly 33% have Internet access in their bedrooms. Media has become a part of western culture in ways that have gotten out of hand. It is time to take a step back from the screen and spend more time in actual social interactions.

Works Cited

"Children, Adolescents, and the Media." Pediatrics: 958-961. Print.

Drinka, M.D., George. "Violent Video Ganes and Adam Lanza's Inner World." Psychology Today 7 Mar. 2013: n. pag. Web. .

Berger, Joseph, and Marc Santora. "Chilling Look at Newtown Killer, but No 'Why'." The New York Times 25 Nov. 2013: n. pag. Print.

Flegenheimer, Matt. "Final Report on Sandy Hook Killings Sheds New Light on Gunman's Isolation." The New York Times 27 Dec. 2013: n. pag. Print.