Boys exposed to violent videos and films at a young age are more likely to exhibit antisocial behavior during adolescence.
- A study shows that exposure to violent content during early childhood increases the risk of being aggressive in adolescence.
- But, this association is only observed in boys.
- For researchers, we must raise awareness of the long-term risks of exposure to violent images during childhood.
We need to be careful about the images that children see on television or on the Internet. A study from the University of Montreal highlights the long-term risks linked to early exposure to violent content during childhood, especially among boys. They are more likely to exhibit antisocial and aggressive behavior in adolescence if they have watched a lot of violent videos around age 4.
The results were detailed in theInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public HealthJanuary 20, 2025.
Screen: nearly 2,000 children followed for 11 years
To determine the effect of violent films on children, the Canadian team brought together 963 girls and 982 boys born between spring 1997 and spring 1998. These young participants were followed for 11 years.
When they were between 3.5 and 4.5 years old, their parents told scientists how often they had been exposed to violent television content. It could have been images “physical, verbal or relational aggression and situations where the protagonist intentionally attempts to hurt or cause harm to other people”. When the volunteers reached the age of 15, they themselves answered questionnaires relating to their behaviors.
Analysis of the data collected confirmed that viewing violent television content during early childhood is indeed associated with an increase in antisocial behavior at the age of 15. However, this link is only observed in boys. Aggressive actions reported include hitting or fighting with another person with the intention of stealing or taking advantage of them.
“The use of threats and insults, participation in fights between gangs of adolescents and the use of weapons are also among the aggressive antisocial behaviors listed in connection with childhood exposure to violent television content”add the authors in their press release.
Violent videos: we must raise awareness of the long-term consequences
The girls in the study did not show increases in aggressive behavior during adolescence. Researchers suggest that this could be linked to the fact that boys are generally more exposed to this type of content.
For the team, this work confirms that content seen in early childhood can have lasting consequences and that we must be vigilant about the videos watched by children. Even more so, as “Children are attracted to fast-paced, challenging violent content, which often features attractive characters such as superheroes who perform aggressive actions and are rewarded for them, increasing the likelihood of exposure to violence”.
Linda Pagani, professor at the School of Psychoeducation at the University of Montreal and lead author of the study, believes that there is “an urgent need for public health prevention campaigns to raise awareness among parents and communities of the long-term risks of this exposure and to enable them to make informed choices about the violent digital content to which their children are also subjected”.
