People see violence everyday and violence happens everyday. A four or five year old can tell the difference between fantasy and real violence unless they have an underlying condition. Sometimes kids need to know that the world is scary and is mean, because it is.The world is not a nice-happy fun zone! Don't scare the underpants off them but violence is a part of life and when kids find out about death/violence they will be afraid because they are not used to it.

Okay, I agree somewhat with Katsura. The only thing they forgot in there description is the parents need to be Christians.

While I agree that children should not be saturated in violent content, I feel that the idea that media violence "causes adolescent violence like smoking causes cancer" to be a bit overblown. When it comes to social issues, it is very difficult to prove causation. It's possible that kids who are more violent in real life are drawn to violent videogames because that's part of their personality that's already present. Also, the kids most likely to copy violent behavior modeled on TV or in games are the ones who don't have a strong background in non-violent conflict resolution at home - hence the importance of talking to your kids about violence. In short, violent media is much more likely to provide the form for violent action than the inspiration - most of the kids who commit movie-like violence would have been violent eventually anyway, due to poor role models at home.

If you look, the links between fake violence and real is still inconclusive. I believe, the young mind has the ability to tell the difference between them, but it is still an issue of young minds then possibly thinking this violence is acceptable.

Violent media should be kept away from children aged 0-12, but it has now so thickly permeated our sociaty, that exposure is inevitable. But after age 12+, we young adults have the ability to understand the differance from real and fake, and we can understand how the world works well enough to not instantly become terrorists from violent media.

I watch Burn Notice, I play Halo, and I'm okay. And your kids will be too.

ugh come on! i watch pg 13 like everyday! its beacause my parents say im responsible and mature however my parents will NOT let me see a rated r movie unless theyve seen it and think its fine for me to watch which has happened three times but now my mom and dad are thinkking about letting me see more r movies since im maturing more im lucky i have a mom and dad who trust me and respect my feelings and understand me too im not just saying this beacause they let me see a lot of pg 13 but i think they do really understand me and how i feel um and why are u showing chicken lil ass violent in the vid lol

i have three brothers and one sister my sister is two and one of my three brothers are four my two year old sister is afraid of monsters and my four year old brother hates the dark comfort your daughter tell her that shes right there next to you to comfort you and if anything happens shelll be right there even give her a special thing like a trusty teddy bear, a magic charm to keep her safe, etc the thing is dont explain the monsters arent real explain that youll be here to protect her
good luck!
lilmissfrankie

I find the opinions posted here by teens very interesting... saying violence is no problem and these studies aren't fact, and that parents are weak and not taking responsibility... hmmmm...

The fact that I actually THINK about my decision and how seeing violent and graphic images may impact my child shows I AM taking responsibility, and not just saying YES based on my kid nagging me to play Call of Duty because his friends do, or NO because I'm some control freak. By the way, it's a lot harder to say No.

And a quick search on the web to find FACTS from reputable sources, such as doctors and people who have studied for years after college, leads me to believe what they say, more than your individual experience as a teenager. And I would say 1000 studies that reach the same conclusion is pretty much a FACT:

from http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/jstmtevc.htm:
"There are some in the entertainment industry who maintain that 1) violent programming is harmless because no studies exist that prove a connection between violent entertainment and aggressive behavior in children, and 2) young people know that television, movies, and video games are simply fantasy. Unfortunately, they are wrong on both counts.

At this time, well over 1000 studies - including reports from the Surgeon General's office, the National Institute of Mental Health, and numerous studies conducted by leading figures within our medical and public health organizations - our own members - point overwhelmingly to a causal connection between media violence and aggressive behavior in some children. The conclusion of the public health community, based on over 30 years of research, is that viewing entertainment violence can lead to increases in aggressive attitudes, values and behavior, particularly in children.

Its effects are measurable and long-lasting. Moreover, prolonged viewing of media violence can lead to emotional desensitization toward violence in real life."

CASE CLOSED.

OH MY GOSH!!! Why do people have to make such a big deal out of media violence???? I am 14 years old, I watch an action movie every day, (most of whitch are PG-13) and I am as sweet and nice as I was when I was 5!!! There is no connection between kids seeing violent images, and acting violently! T.V and movies are just pure entertainment, not guide books about violence!!!!! I know that all that violence is fake!!!!! And many kids do as well, so why is it such a big deal??? I'm just saying that media violence is not an issue of conncern.

i am not in to shooting games eceept the halo series and very few others i watch scarey mopvies i have seen 3 r rated movies scream ( which i will never watch again)hide and seek and my bloody valentine i think ( i will never watch theat again ether)and the goosebumbs books and movies creep me out my parents said i am off goosebumbs for augest and no more rated are movies till i am 12 - 18 they will have to see how muture i will be i agree with the person who has never been in a fight and never yelled at teachers i have also ecspenced some of the baddest m rated games on the market some were taken off the market in fact i won student of the month in feburary for being a role model in school and the commuitoy july 14th is my birthday we are having the party the 12th but my dad is taken me out to eat at los vergos my favorite resturant ( a mexican restureant) and we are going to the warren thereter to see ice age 3 ( the warrent therther is the biggest one in the world) there is one in moore oklahoma ( the one i am going to) and one in some town in kansas i think tobaka not sure

i am not in to shooting games eceept the halo series and very few others i watch scarey mopvies i have seen 3 r rated movies scream ( which i will never watch again)hide and seek and my bloody valentine i think ( i will never watch theat again ether)and the goosebumbs books and movies creep me out my parents said i am off goosebumbs for augest and no more rated are movies till i am 12 - 18 they will have to see how muture i will be

The debate over video game violence is totally ridiculous. You shouldn't let young kids play violent games in the same sense that you shouldn't let young kids watch scary movies for fear of giving them nightmares, but if the kid can handle it, what's the problem? There is absolutly no proof that games cause violent behaviour in youth. In this site's article "Violent Videogames are a public Health Hazard," most of the information presented came from a Law & Order episode. The sad fact is, whenever some new form of media comes out, there will always be parents like these, willing to do everything in there power to protect their kids from the media other than talk to them or look at what they're complaining about. No amount of actual logic, reason, science, fact, or independent thought will ever be able to persuade these fools from their riduculous assumptions about games, and it appears as though we'll all have to live with that.

-- In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says that “playing violent video games leads to adolescent violence like smoking leads to lung cancer.” ---

This so called "fact" is pure BS. Parents, hear me out before you believe everything they tell you.

-I've played Doom when I was 4 years old. Yes, four years old.
-Numerous "M" games on the Playstation around 6 (cant remember names).
-Half Life 2, Counter Strike,Crysis, Left 4 Dead, and Gears of War just to name a few of the more recent games.

And guess what? I have never been in ONE single fight AT ALL. I have NEVER gotten into any trouble with teachers, never cursed or yelled at them (in fact I was a seen as a model student in elementary school). The only children who are going to react violently are the ones who's parents are overprotective, or children with mental instabilities or diseases that effect critical thinking skills. I did a 2000 letter paper on how video games are NOT direct sources of violence in 10th grade, and I got a perfect A+ on it. I know now some of you parents are thinking and shaking your head in your ignorance to my pleas which YOU think are lies, but that's your own fault. I'm probably one of the most mature kids in my high school, and I've played the goriest, bloodiest games on the market. If your kid is not mentally challenged, then don't worry about it.

I constantly read about how back in the 50's, 60's, and into the 80's, if a kid was caught watching, reading or listening to something thier parents didn't want them to, they would be spanked, splapped, grounded, or any combination of the three.

Now, a parent will complain to the TV station, publisher, or music distributor.

There is a middle ground here. If you don't like kid exposed to a certain media, tell thme and explain why. Let them know what your problem is with it.

Turn off the TV, talk with your kids, and be a goddamn parent.

Katsura, I get what you're saying (just went on Xbox live the other day playing Call Of Duty ended up with a whiny five year old), but you're a little off in the age department. I say Saw when I was about ten, because my parents taught me that violence and cursing is wrong and safe sex is important. Me and my friends watch r-rated movies and play m-rated games all the time and just the other day, while playing a game, my friend started to say how cool it would be to kill someone in a certain way, everyone immediately called him out on it and told him how killing a person would be horrible and how it would be hard to live with. Except for one of the kids, whose parents don't let him play violent games. He is probably one of the MOST agressive kids I know and he just said bs. The friend that made the comment explained that he was talking about in the game and not real life, but it shows you video games and violent movies aren't the best for kids, but for stressed out teens that have so much stuff going on and so many emotions bottled up, it can be a good way to release those emotions on alien zombies. My friends and I also use sports, music, and shouting for no damn reason in the middle of the backyard to let these out to. the problem is stupid rich, overpriveleged, weak, white-trash parents who give their kids anything and let them curse in their face (I know some kids like this). I won't deny it my family is pretty well off, we have a big house and nice things, but my parents limit me, set rules (even if I break them), and teach me basic human values that I can apply to my life. Giving into your kids constantly is a form of child abuse. In a way your ignoring them. Not parenting them, just kind of providing things for them like a free landlord.

Well I think the tweens are old enough to see '300' and Gladiator since the historical action, like Common Sense Media says, is fake and they already know that. If you expose them to the titles I listed, your actually not at all a bad parent. Now if you expose them to 'Saw' and 'Hostel' we are talking about a different story. I am actually exposed to Saw and can handle the grotesque violence and close ups of grisly images, but for other "innocent" children who aren't used to gory depictions shouldn't be viewing these movies. I say let the tweens see sword play, historical action, or comical violence. As long as there is minimal blood or blood for comic effect, it's alright.

Ok, so lets keep it real. Christo145 is right but sugar-coated it a great deal. There really is no media problem, there is a parenting problem. The parents of today don't want to raise their kids. They want the TV, game industry, and movie makers to do it for them (and then have the nerve to be picky about how its done). These pseudo-abusive absentee parents want to buy their 9-13 child a game system, buy the kid a game without checking to see if its M-rated, allow the kid to play unsupervised for 4-5 hours per day, and know that Playstation or Xbox is raising their kid in the they want. The same thing goes for TV. Parents want to leave their kid in front of the TV for hours (remote in kids hand) and the kid is not there until they feel like being a parent. Everyone else did their part. The Tv stations made a rating system (that most parents still can't decipher), the game companies made a rating system (that most parents don't look at), and the movies all have ratings (that most parents don't seem to care about). CSI and Grand Theft Auto don't make psychotic violent children, bad parenting does. If these lazy no-bonding, no spanking, no breast-feeding, no cooking, no screening, "I want a break" parents would raise their kids, the violent behavoir will stop in a vacuum. As a parent, your child is your responsibility and no one elses. You don't get a lunch break from that. Yet, how dare one of these parent failures stand up and say that the Constitution should be burned, the art of media be destroyed, and the whole world made discontent simply because they couldn't (or refused to) raise their kids.

this is stupid if violent imagery makes kids want to be violent then if we show disney movies to people in prison shouldnt it hav the same effect

Sad but true!The worst violence I've seen in media are 2 things:saving private ryan(rated r)and 9/11 footage on the news!

Here is the problem. Most parents dont have any backbone. Is it really that hard to explain that when someone dies in real life, they cant come back like in the cartoons or games. Is it really that hard to explain that the pain you feel is real and that the games and cartoons ar fake??