Kids & Viewing TV Violence

The kind of television shows children watch and whom they watch them with can be just as important as the amount of time they spend in front of the tube, researchers at Boston's Children's Hospital report in a new study that finds an association between violent shows and peer problems.
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David Bickham, lead author of the new study, was online Tuesday, April 11, at 2 p.m. ET to field questions and comments about the study.

The transcript follows.

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David Bickham: Hello everyone. My name is David Bickham and I am a research scientist at the Center on Media and Child Health at Harvard Medical School. My main job is to perform research exploring the ways media shape children's development. I look forward answering any questions you may have about children and media. Thanks for participating, and please don't hesitate to post a question.

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Washington, D.C.: Could you please explain how a parent can determine whether a show is "violent?" Almost every single non-PBS video or show, including all the Dreamworks, Disney, Pixar, etc. movies seem to have a "bad" villain (or stepmother) and there is always at least one "bad" or "violent" episode. Would your study classify the Kim Possible and SpyKids movies "violent?" How about Alladin, the Lion King and other Disney movies?

David Bickham: "What is violence" is a very difficult question to answer. In fact some of the most seemingly benign content (like the witch in Snow White) have been shown to have long lasting fear effects on children. My suggestion is to watch some of these programs with your children and fast forward through the scary/violent parts. With older children, process the content with them. Let them know you wouldn't want them to behave in those ways and that behavior like that in the real world has serious consequences. Most of these movies have positive messages about friendship and honesty or other similar behaviors. Stress these to your child to ensure that the lasting impression is a positive one. Also, a lot of these movies you mentioned tend to be viewed over and over again by kids. This can intensify any negative effects. So be very careful when adding a movie to your home library. Thanks for the question, hope this was helpful.

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Florence, Ala.: Is there any validated research that suggests that there may be a correlation in whether an adult is giving "parental guidance" or when no adult is present?

The video games and some television programs use certain criteria to suggest a theme is not appropriate for children. Are the criteria adequate to limit the negative influence of the potentially violent programming?

David Bickham: Yes, there is quite a bit of research that shows that the effects of violent media can be reduced through parent interactions. But you have to be an active viewer. Talk with your kids about what you see and why it doesn't show what the real world. There are co-viewing strategies available online. Search for media literacy and you can learn some ways to let your children in on the big secret that media is not what it seems.

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Laurel, Md.: Did the study in any way control for a possible reversal of cause and effect -- kids prone to violent attitudes are less likely to spend time with friends and more likely to watch violent TV?

David Bickham: Thanks for the question. Causation is a very tricky topic in social science and is difficult to show. Especially in studies that are nationally representative. One way we deal with that is to consider the influences of "third" variables, that is other explanations for the cause. In this study I considered many other causes including parental education, gender, ethnicity, and the quality of the child's home environment. That said, cause can still not be proved in this study. I think in the real world the cause is probably cyclical with violent television making children more aggressive and more socially isolated. These children then in turn are attracted to more violent media (partially to fill their time). It's a hypothesized process and needs more research to tease apart.

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Miami, Fla.: As a preschool teacher is has become evident that the children who watch uncensored TV often take on the personality of the characters they admire and display violence toward others. These children also seem to have no concept of the world around them. On the very rare occasions when a video is shown in the class the children are mesmerized and trance-like in front of the screen.

David Bickham: Preschool and afterschool programs are often overlooked as a place where children use media. Your observations are very common. One thing to keep in mind though is that TV viewing is a very different experience for these young children. They are learning to "read" the media at this age, a skill we all take for granted. A good example is an image of a house followed by a scene at a dinner. Adults all know that the dinner is occurring inside the house. Preschool children are just learning this. Part of the "mesmerized" look that you see is this type of learning. Another point is that children in your program are at the perfect age to learn from good educational television. So be sure to pick a video that is designed to teach you kids skills that are appropriate for their age.

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TV comment: My husband and I were looking at homes recently in an area that is very popular with middle to upper middle class families. These are homes that are at the most 5 years old and have 3-4 bedrooms with a great yard. In other words--very suburban, very family oriented. We don't have kids yet. We also don't watch much TV since we think it is a waste of time. One of the homes listed "wired for cable in every bedroom" as a "feature". That is when I knew that community was not for us. Parents need to get the TV's out of the kid's bedrooms. That is a big part of the problem with this covert TV viewing.

David Bickham: You make some very good points. First, the best predictor of a child's viewing habits are the habits of the parents. Parents who do not watch much television will have children who do not watch much television. Second, there is growing evidence that a TV in a child's room is linked to many negative outcomes. It is very common for children, even those under 3, to have TV's in their room. The best thing parents can do to reduce the effects of violent television is to not let it control the household. Be active viewers, choose to watch the show you want and then shut the television off. And keep all TVs in shared rooms. Remember, it's much easier to never put a TV in your child's room than it is to take it out.

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Arlington, Va.: Thank you so much for this chat. Can you talk about computer usage for a bit? Growing up I never used the computer at home, but now am very comfortable with technology. But there is so much "preschool" software out there. Is this just marketing. Is there a place for preschoolers (I'm think 3 to 4 age range) to use this. And more importantly, what are the negative impacts.

David Bickham: The key to all media is that children will learn what we teach them. Using well designed computer software may have good effects for 3-4 year olds. We know that when children in this age range watch educational TV they learn skills that prepare them for school and they ultimately have more academic success. There is less research about educational software, but I would expect that good games lead to good outcomes. In terms of negative effects, be sure that the titles you provide your child do not mix violence into the content. With reasonable time restrictions and lots of other optional activities I think there is room for computer use in the healthy development of young children.

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Washington, D.C.: Have you studied any effects on pre-school children or in the 0-3 age group?

David Bickham: Media and very young children is a question that is receiving much deserved attention recently. There is some research that shows that children as young as 18 months can learn some language skills from certain kinds of educational television. But there is a lot of concern that TV viewing will replace crucial interactions with parents. There is yet to be any scientific evidence that children learn from Baby Einstein type videos. So I would not recommend TV for your very young children. But if your lifestyle demands it every once in a while be sure that it doesn't interfere with the time you spend with your child interacting around books, blocks and other traditionally educational materials.

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Wellsboro, Pa.: Efforts to protect children from cigarettes and alcohol often produce what might be called a "forbidden fruit" phenomenon--that is a sort of fascination with what the children are being protected from. How are parents to deal with this if they are to forbid their children to watch violent television? Or is this not a problem?

David Bickham: Thanks for your interesting question. I would expect that the forbidden fruit effect would only occur in certain types of parental monitoring. If you just tell your child not to watch something, then you might pique his or her interest. But if you include them in the decision making process (if they are old enough) and frame it as a family issue you might have fewer problems with this. Tell your child that the family is going to decide together about the type of shows and games that they want to let into the house. Then guide the discussion to show why you wouldn't want violent TV or games. Explain how they wouldn't keep inviting a friend over who kept starting fights.

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Upper Marlboro, Md.: What can a parent do to promote censorship of what is shown on TV as well as the music and videos that our children is watching and listening to?

David Bickham: I would not support censorship at a government level. Parents can be involved with their children's media use the way they are involved with other aspects of their children's lives. For young children, parents provide most media. If you start early, your child will learn to make healthy media related choices.

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Madison, Wis.: Why do you think it's so hard to get this message out to parents? With all the evidence against media violence, you'd think parents would understand this by now.

David Bickham: In media effects research there is something called the "third person" effect. It's basically that most people believe that media influences other people and other people's children, but media does not affect them or their own children. This is partially because media effects can be subtle. The imitations of Grand Theft Auto that you hear about on the news are very rare. I believe that since parents don't see their own children shooting at police officers in real life that they believe the media is not affecting them. It's very difficult to convince people that they are influenced by media because they often think that it means they are stupid in some way. The research shows that intelligence and other characteristics reduce the effects of media but none completely safeguard children. We need to educate people about this in order to motivate parents to take on one more difficult issue into their already very full lives.

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Rockville, Md.: My son is easily frightened by images on TV, and I watch actively with him to help him process. He's 10 now, and I would like to expose him to some movies I think he would like, but he's too scared to even let me bring it home. Examples include Chronicles of Narnia and the Harry Potter movies. He's afraid that he will be afraid, which, of course, becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Any advice on how to help him distinguish fantasy from reality and enjoy the fantasy?

David Bickham: Thanks for your question. I would suggest you read Joanne Cantor's book called Mommy I'm Scared. It gives excellent advice about how to help your child deal with media fears. Also it outlines specific types of content that scare younger children but that children the age of your son would find less frightening. With it as a guide you can probably find some appropriate content for him that's also fun to watch.

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Del Ray, Va.: Hello,

I have an almost 5-year-old son and an almost 2-year-old daughter. ( I know - the AAP says not TV for under two - but how else am I supposed to make dinner?)!

My question is about my son. I limit his TV watching to a few shows, Thomas, Sesame Street, Mr. Roger, Bob the Builder and the Wiggles. My husband on the other hand will let him watch shows like Inuyasha (sp?) and other Anime type cartoons. I don't want him watching any fighting cartoons as I think he is too impressionable right now. Am I being too protective?

I also try not to let him watch more than 3 shows or 2 hours tops on the weekends. Maybe 2 shows or 1 hour on a weeknight. And - no TV in the a.m. or we'd never get out of the house. My husband will let them both watch lots of TV when I am out as he doesn't seem to be able to sit and play with them or just keep them occupied without it.

Basically I'm having trouble agreeing with my husband on this issue. And, since I grew up watching very little TV and now want to watch all the time, I am trying to do better with my own kids and strike a normal balance.

We did have a rule about no TV for us when they are awake, but that is slowly being eroded. Sometimes I want to watch the news or HGTV when they are up, and while the programming is ok, the commercials are really making me crazy. The boy stares at them and is really soaking it up. It is terrible!

Thanks for any help you can provide!

David Bickham: It sounds like you have a very good plan for raising you children in a media safe environment. It is very difficult to convince people about the serious effects of violent television. Many people feel that they watched it when they were young and grew up fine. I try to tell people that the effects of violent TV are some times difficult to see, but it has been shown that over 30 viewing this type of content shifts peoples views of the world and makes them more aggressive. If you think more scientific information would help, please see the Web site for our center www.cmch.tv There you can search a database of scientific articles that are summarized in non-scientific language. Hope that helps, and good luck.

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Columbus, Ohio: I am very intrigued by the correlation between watching violent shows and watching alone. I allow my child limited television access, but I always watch with her and avoid shows with any hint of violence (including cartoons). The article mentions that you were unable to determine a cause and effect relationship. Do you have any "gut feelings" about the relationship, either in terms of the causal arrow between the two, or about the possibility of a third factor that is causal to both?

David Bickham: Thanks for your question about my research. Data from big survey studies like the one I used for my article can not prove causation. But we know a lot about the effects of violent television, so I was able to present a hypothesized process based on other research and what we know about how children learn. TV is a default activity for many people, so if a child is socially isolated in some way they will likely fill their time with television. If they watch violent television, they will likely become more aggressive. This may, in turn, make them less likely to spend time with other people their own age. My research supports this process, but it in no way proves it. In terms of watching with your child, I am a big advocate for parental co-viewing. Actively question what you see on TV with your child so that she learns good viewing skills.

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Cincinnati, Ohio: Hello Dr. Bickham:

I am the father of an almost two-year-old. We let her watch a total of 40 minutes of television per day. Right after breakfast and before she goes to pre-school, and right before bed. We generally record these shows from Noggin, which is commercial free.

My question is, have you or your colleagues done any research about the evolution of children's shows that have been on for a while. The reason I ask is that one of the three shows we record is "Dora the Explorer," which has been on for quite a while. The ones we watch from Noggin are older, and seem more interactive, with pauses to have the child answer the questions posed by the characters on the screen.

In contrast, "newer" episodes that we taped off another channel seem to have less interaction time and are more "flashy," in the sense that they change backgrounds and perspectives more quickly.

I have read that short duration information "bursts" has lead to shorter attention spans in children.

Have you done research on either of these topics, and specifically, has your research found that shows evolve over time to be more like their "lower common denominator" competition?

David Bickham: This is an interesting observation about Dora the Explorer. I do not know of an analysis of this type of change. Other shows have changed. Sesame Street, for example, was recently revamped so that the segments were longer, sustained narratives instead of the "bursts" you are talking about. Newer episodes of Blues Clues are also different from older ones. I would suggest starting a library of the episodes you like. Your 2-year-old will learn more each time she watches an episode (one of the reasons they show the same episode of Blues Clues every day for a week is because research showed that children did not lose interest and continued to learn after repeated viewings). To address your question about TV and children's attention, the jury is still out. Research has found conflicting evidence, so it may still be a while before we know anything conclusive. I'm glad to see that you take such an active approach to media in your child's life.

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Wellsboro, Pa.: In the case of smoking, having parents tell children not to engage in the activity while they, themselves, do makes their effort less likely of success. In the case of violent television watching or the playing of violent video games, would you advise parents who feel that their children may have a problem in this area to refrain from these activities themselves, or not?

David Bickham: One of the best ways we have to predict how much and what type of media a child uses is to look at the media habits of his or her parents. Parents should be aware of what they view and understand that children will often do what they see their parents doing, regardless of what they are told to do. Modeling a healthy approach to media will help ensure that your children grow up in control of the content they consume.

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Washington, D.C.: My 3 1/2-year-old son enjoys shows like Thomas the Tank Engine, the Backyardigans, and I Spy, which we usually watch with him. He loves to read and play outside, so I feel like he has a good balance and isn't watching too much television. I worry, though, about what comes next as he gets older. He watches TV now because we exercise control over what he watches and how much, but as he grows, what kind of limits should we set and what type of shows are best to watch?

David Bickham: I congratulate you on providing such a high quality and balanced environment for your young son. Shows you did not mention such as Blues Clues and Sesame Street have been scientifically shown to encourage learning in young children. However, there are very few educational programs designed for older children. Encouraging him to continue to pursue other activities such as reading and sports will provide him with many options to pursue when he's feeling bored. This way he will be less likely to turn to TV to fill his time. In this way he will be in control of his own use. Overall I would think this approach would help him maintain a limited and appropriate media diet.

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Columbia, Md.: Is it time again for this, another study drawing conclusions that are essentially meaningless? You recorded logs. Did you interview each child? Did you determine just what type of child you are recording? Maybe there is a relationship between "loners" and the TV they want to watch, and not vice versa as you concluded. But then it is easier to blame TV, as per usual.

And these parents that logged the shows watched. Were they instructed to monitor only, or were they allowed to exercise parental controls. Did junior really pick the Sopranos?

Were the race, religion, single parent or married couple, stay-at-home parent vs latch key kid and a host of other demographics monitored or is this another color-blind study? Were the geographic locations monitored and recorded? Did the children who were loners, as you labeled them, have easy access to other children to socialize? Perhaps the children who live out in the boonies tend to be loners more out of geography and not Wile E Coyote falling off a Mesa to his accordion-body demise.

Did you distinguish between violence as portrayed on Sopranos/CSI/Law&Order vs "cartoon" violence that children can differentiate between?

What about sports that are classically defined as violent, such as football, lacrosse, hockey and increasingly soccer? Would you not say these can be equally as violent, even resulting in serious injuries? What about discovery programs depicting one animal following nature's food chain on another animal? Is that violent? What about mythbusters that regularly show a crash test dummy being subjected to heinous acts? Are these children who watch these shows loners too? Ever see the one where they saw if a finger in the barrel of a shotgun would cause the shot gun to explode a la bugs bunny & elmer fudd? (no, it does not explode, it blows the hand clear off)

No, all your study has done is provide more ammunition to the zealots out there who decry everything TV.

David Bickham: Thank you for your comments. It is important to remember that no single scientific study can answer all questions about television violence. They all have their methodological strengths and weaknesses. The strengths of my study are that it is a nationally representative sample (including a racial diversity that reflects the US) and that individual programs rather than total exposure to television could be considered. This structure made me able to adjust for things like geographical location which is carefully considered in the sampling process of these data. You are right that the specific context of television violence determines the specific effects. But since I was examining TV as it happens in real life, I could not look at children who were only exposed to one type of TV violence (children have diverse tastes). Many of your other questions are addressed in my article especially in its limitations section. I invite you to read it. Hopefully, my research will inspire more research in this area so we can better understand the effects of television violence on the real lives of our children.

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Rockville, Md: Is it really that bad and horrible and world stopping to let your kid see the road runner get a 10 ton weight dropped on his head? Shouldn't parents teach their kids the difference between reality and fantasy?

David Bickham: Thanks for your question. Many people believe that if you understand that what you see on television is fantasy then it will not affect you. Research has found that this is not necessarily true. One way to think about it is that school age children (10 to 12 year olds) may very well know that the horror movie they saw was fantasy, but many will still be kept awake by the images they witnessed. Also, fantasy and reality are often intermingled on TV, even adult TV. Do reality shows represent relationships and events that actually occurred? It's very difficult to determine by just viewing the program. Finally, even fantasy violence affects children. It models for them that violence is common, appropriate, and has no real world consequences. While one exposure to Road Runner is not going to make most children drop a 10 ton weight on another child, repeated exposure to a violent fantasy world will shift their beliefs about violence and change their behaviors.

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Hudson, Wis.: I've found that a DVR is a great resource for controlling what my kids watch. We automatically record a selection of shows that they enjoy and meet my criteria (violence is a key factor, but I look for some educational content too). Then when they want to watch a show, they can choose from what we've recorded. An additional benefit is that at the end of each show, they need to choose to either watch another or go do something else, they aren't automatically drawn into whatever is broadcast next.

One interesting change as my kids have aged is their attitude toward commercials. My oldest is 5, and until recently, she copied the adults' attitude toward commercials, and insisted we skip them all. Now she wants to hold the remote and decide which commercials to skip, and which to watch (she enjoys toy commercials, and commercials for new kid shows). Luckily most of the shows we record for the kids are on Noggin or PBS, so it doesn't come up too often.

Thank you for the interesting conversation!

David Bickham: This is an extremely important comment. I see the DVR as an excellent tool for parental monitoring of television. It puts the viewer in complete control of what they are seeing (and not seeing). I appreciate your comment about how using the DVR also provides built in breaks to the viewing experience. I had not thought of that benefit for parents and children, but I will certainly stress it in the future when I advocate for the use of this technology. Thanks.

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David Bickham: Thanks to everyone who participated in today's forum. I'm sorry I was not able to respond to everyone's question in the time allotted. If you would like more information on this topic, I invite you to visit the Web site for the Center on Media and Child Health (www.cmch.tv). Thank you again for the opportunity to answer your questions.

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