As kids become exposed to media and gaming violence at younger ages each year, a group of pediatricians has become worried about the potential effects. Almost all families in the U.S. have access to games and electronic devices that promote violence, one way or another.

Their recommendation is to reduce the children’s exposure to violent games in order to prevent the breeding of aggressive behavior and feelings of anger.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has issued a new recommendation against virtual violence in a new policy statement on July 18. According to the academy, a report will be published in the journal Pediatrics in the August issue.

It’s a debate as old as time: some agree that there is a link between exposure to screen violence and real-world violence (including school shootings), while others contest it vehemently.

However, the APP has found proof – hundreds of studies and several meta-analyses – that stands as evidence in favor of this association.

The APP wrote: “It is true that a definitive link has not been found between screen violence and real-world violence (e.g., school shootings). While most school shooters have a heavy diet of screen violence, so do many non-school shooters. The rarity of shootings makes prospective studies infeasible.”

One of the most convincing pieces of evidence is a 2006 meta-analysis that reviewed over 400 studies on exposure to violent media of all types. The findings showed a statistically significant link between violence exposure and feelings of anger, aggressive thoughts, and violent behavior.

During a 2010 meta-analysis of 140 studies that was also mentioned by the AAP, researchers also found a link between exposure to media violence and aggressive behavior. In this case, the connection they found was even stronger than in the previous studies.

According to the policy statement, the recommendations apply to all stakeholders – including policymakers, parents, the media and the entertainment industry; all were called to address the worrying increase of the children’s exposure to violent games and apps.

“Most believe that they and their children are immune to these effects,” wrote the academy. “The so-called third-person effect causes people to believe that other people, not themselves, but some small, susceptible fraction of people, are influenced in a way the majority of the population is not.”

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