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TALKING POINTS
(AB 1792 AND AB 1793)
Violence and aggression in children and youth remains 'a public health
epidemic' said US Surgeon General David Satcher in his report on Youth Violence
(2000).
The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 1999 Violence Fact
Sheet indicates in 1996-1997 that 10 percent of all schools reported at least
one serious violent crime by pupils to law enforcement (Bureau of Justice
statistics, US Department of Justice); that FBI reports for 1996 indicate
2,900 juvenile arrests for murder, and nearly a million US students in 1998
took guns to school; in 1997, 123,400 children were arrested for violent
crimes in the US (US Office of Juvenile Justice and Juvenile Delinquency
Prevention).
Studies: According to one meta-analysis of violence and screen media
there are 3500 published studies, the vast majority of which confirm the link
between violent images and aggressive behavior in children.
The Surgeon General's report indicates that there is a small but
significant long-term correlation between viewing television violence in
children and later aggression. And further notes that while some evidence
suggests that more aggressive children watch more violence, and might be more
prone to violence, "the evidence is stronger that watching media violence
is a precursor of increased aggression."
In 2000, the AMA released the results of a commission it convened, composed
of medical, nursing and public health professional associations which reviewed
over 1000 relevant scientific articles and concluded that children exposed to
'violent media images -combined with other risk factors such as parental
neglect - are more likely to be aggressive later in life."
Recent Research Focuses on the Intensity of Interaction with, and the
Possible Habituation to Violent Interactive Video Games.
The preliminary data show that the intensity of interactive video games
(arguably those with violent content are more intensely involving) may be
habituating. Again, preliminary data indicate that 2-3 hour sessions of
intense interaction with video games raises adrenaline levels in children, and
in a prolonged state of adrenalized arousal and hyper-vigilance, children do
tend to become more aggressive and more prone to act out, and act out in
aggressive ways.
The Journal of the American Medical Association, February 14, 2004,
published a study on the content of video games.
It encompassed all "T" rated (teen) video game titles released
for the major video game consoles up until April 1, 2001. Of the 396
"T" rated video games, it randomly sampled 81 and found that:
- 98% involved intentional violence for an average of 36% of game play.
- 90% rewarded or required the player to injure characters.
- 69% rewarded or required the player to kill.
Many games did not contain appropriate Entertainment Software Rating Board
descriptors indicating this content.
AB 1792/1793 BACKGROUND
- SAMPLE LETTER
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