Cross-Cutting Issue: Media Violence

Educational Tools/Resources

• AAP's Media Matters: A National Media Education Campaign
  This campaign guide provides materials to assist pediatricians and families become more aware of the influence media has on youth health. It includes the pediatrician's guide Media Education in the Practice Setting, and Understanding the Impact of Media on Children and Teens, for families. Pertinent articles, policy statements, and resource links are also included.
• AAP's Policy Statement: Media Education (1999)
  The American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation for pediatricians regarding counseling parents and employing other strategies to mitigate the harmful effects of children's exposure to media.
• AAP's Policy Statement: Media Violence (2001)
  The American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation for pediatricians regarding evaluating and intervening with respect to their patients' exposure to violent media, and advocating for child-friendly media.
• JAMA's Patient Page: Violence in the Media (2000)
  This patient handout provides guidance to parents on how to monitor and limit their children's exposure to violent media.

Federal Trade Commission Consumer Response Center:

The FTC accepts consumer complaints about media violence, including complaints about the advertising, marketing, and sale of violent movies, electronic/video games, and music. Use the FTC complaint form, available at:

http://www.ftc.gov, or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) M-F 9am-9pm ET.

Note: Complaints regarding the content of television programming should be directed to the Federal Communications Commission at :

http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/complaints.html.

TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board:

(The Board is responsible for ensuring that the ratings are applied with accuracy and consistency to television programming.) Complaints about a television show's program rating may be made to the board via mail, phone, or e-mail:

TV Parental Guidelines
Post Office Box 14097
Washington, DC 20004
Phone: 202-879-9364
Email: tvomb.usa.net

Reports/Publications

• Counseling Patients on Mass Media and Health (2004)
  This article in the June 1, 2004 issue of the journal American Family Physician reviews the health risks associated with media exposure and describes the physician's role in screening patients with a "media history" and providing preventive counseling.
• Marketing Violent Entertainment to Children: A Fourth Follow-Up Review of Industry Practices in the Motion Picture, Music Recording & Electronic Game Industries. A Report to Congress (2004)
  This Federal Trade Commission report reviews current marketing practices of the entertainment media industries to find that while they have improved in some areas, they continue to advertise violent and explicit-content products in media with large teen audiences.
• The Influence of Media Violence on Youth (2003)
  This article in the December 2003 issue of the journal Psychological Science in the Public Interest reviews the empirical research on how media violence affects youth and interventions to mitigate the effects.
• Joint Statement on the Impact of Entertainment Violence on Children (2000)
  This is a document signed in July 2000 by the American Academy of Pediatrics and five other prominent medical groups on the connection between media and violent/aggressive behavior in some children.
• Media in the Home 2000 (2000)
  This Annenberg Public Policy Center survey report provides a profile of media ownership, use, and attitudes of parents and children in America.
• Media Violence Basics
  This Children's Defense Fund fact sheet provides an overview of the extent to which children are exposed to violent images and messages in the media and the effect on children's behavior.
• Some Things You Should Know About Media Violence and Media Literacy
  This American Academy of Pediatrics fact sheet provides an overview of media violence, the negative effect it has on children, and what parents can do to mitigate those effects.
• Television and Growing Up: The Impact of Televised Violence (1972)
  This early report from the Surgeon General's Scientific Advisory Committee on Television and Social Behavior concludes that viewing violence on television does affect some children, causing them to be more aggressive.
• Youth Violence: A Report of the Surgeon General (2001)
  Appendix 4-B of the report, "Violence in the Media and Its Effect on Youth Violence," discusses issues of exposure and content, and the behavioral effects of media violence.

Links to Other Resources

• American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP): Violence Prevention
  provides violence prevention and media violence resources for physicians and parents, including a searchable Violence Intervention and Prevention Program Database
• Annenberg Public Policy Center: Media and the Developing Child
  offers reports on the center's research addressing media and children, and the role of policymakers, industry and others in helping parents direct their children's media use
• Center for Media and Public Affairs (CMPA)
  conducts studies of news and entertainment media, including studies on violence in popular culture
• Center for Media Literacy (CML)
  provides educational resources on a variety of media topics; offers articles, teaching ideas, recommended teaching resources and links to relevant sites
• Center for Public Integrity
  offers Media Tracker, a searchable database containing ownership information on American media companies, investigative reports, and other resources
• Common Sense Media
  offers information for parents to make informed media decisions, reviews of children's movies and other media, research reviews, and links to helpful organizations
• Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB)
  provides a rating system that helps consumers choose the games that are right for their families, and a search page to look up any video game and view its rating
• Federal Communications Commission (FCC) : Parents' Place
  offers information for parents about the communications their children can access, including children's TV laws, programming, channel blocking and other information
• Kaiser Family Foundation
  provides fact sheets on topics related to children and the media, such as TV violence, ratings and video games
• KIDS FIRST!® Coalition for Quality Children's Media
  offers resources to aid parents in choosing children's media, reviews of children's videos and other media, articles by media specialists, and a discussion forum
• Lion and Lamb Project
  provides parents with information about the effects of violent entertainment, toys and games on children, with steps parents can take to reduce their children's exposure to entertainment violence
• National Institute on Media and the Family
  offers facts, tips, research reports and other resources on all aspects of children and the media
• TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board
  provides information for parents about the TV ratings and the V-Chip, and Board contact information