Study Links Real, Media Violence

Rutgers University research funded by the Centers for Disease Control finds that there is a conclusive link between media violence and real world violence in young people. Media depictions of violence are a "critical risk factor" for aggression in adolescents. The study found that link even when other risk factors for violent behavior—such as exposure to violence at school or in the community—were present. The conclusion was that "even for those lowest in other risk factors, a preference for violent media was predictive of violent behavior and general aggression."