Media Violence Debate: Freedom of Speech vs. Public Safety

Media violence has been a hot topic in society for decades. The controversy is rooted in whether or not exposure to media violence causes aggression and violence. Although research continues to show that there does seem to be a correlation between exposure to media violence and aggression, we know correlation does not imply causation. Without proof of causation, the debate continues. And as the debate continues, research continues to be conducted to find an answer to the controversial question, "Does Media Violence Lead to the Real Thing?" 

In 2002, Craig Anderson and Brad Bushman published an article, "The Effects of Media Violence in Society," in Science magazine. In this article, they parallel the length of the effects of media violence debate to the length of the effects of smoking cigarettes debate. They believe the debate should be long over. Several different studies, including longitudinal studies, cross-sectional studies, field experiments, and laboratory experiments were conducted to test the relationship between media violence and aggression. A positive connection between the two was found in all four study types.

Jim Carrey, a famous actor, voiced his concern with the correlation of media violence and aggression last fall. After the Sandy Hook massacre, he tweeted that he was going to distance himself from “Kick-Ass 2,” a movie he stars in, because of the violent content it possesses. Mark Millar, an executive producer of “Kick-Ass 2,” disagrees with Jim Carrey’s view on media violence and aggression, evidence that the debate still continues twelve years after Anderson and Bushman published their article. His view is that if watching violence can cause violence, can watching Harry Potter cast spells cause humans to cast spells?

Exposure to media violence does not undoubtedly cause one to act violent or aggressive, but it can be a risk factor. Many studies over the years have showed the correlation between violent media exposure and aggression. A research study published this year shows excessive TV watching during childhood or adolescence is causally connected to antisocial behavior in young adults. Excessive refers to more than two hours per weekday. This is especially interesting because the average amount of TV a child watches is more than two hours per day according to my social psychology professor.

Although we might not have absolute proof that exposure to media violence directly causes aggression and violence, we do know there is a correlation between the two. We also know exposure to media violence is one of many factors that can influence aggressive and/or violent behavior. We can change how many hours we spend watching TV, but we can’t change every other factor that influences aggressive and violent behavior. Why not try to minimize aggressive and violent behavior by changing something we have the ability to? Some people believe that by minimizing the hours we spend watching TV to promote public health our freedom of speech is lost.

It seems as if although there is a large amount of scientific research that continues to prove the correlation between exposure to media violence and aggression and/or violence, people are not willing to give up watching TV or playing video games. With 60% of TV programs containing violent scenes, according to Anderson and Bushman, and many video games containing violent content, as we learned during the talk with Laura Stockdale, this means people are not willing to give up exposure to violent media. Without people willing to accept the research provided and agree to moderate exposure of violent media, both TV programs and videogames, the debate will continue… Is freedom of speech worth risking our safety?

Anderson, C. A., B.J. Bushman. "PSYCHOLOGY: The Effects of Media Violence on Society."

Science 295.5564 (2002): 2377-379.

Pozios, Vasilis K., Praveen R. Kambam, and Eric H. Bender. "Does Media Violence Lead to the

Real Thing." New York Times 23 Aug. 2013. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/25/opinion/sunday/does-media-violence-lead-to-the-real-thing.html?_r=0