ISU Extension News

Continuing Education and
Communication Services
3614 Administrative Services Building
Ames, Iowa 50011-3614
(515) 294-9915

12/14/01

Contacts:
Kim Greder, Extension family life specialist, (515) 294-5906, kgreder@iastate.edu
Brad Bushman, department of psychology, (515) 294-1472, bushman@iastate.edu
Craig Anderson, department of psychology, (515) 294-0283, caa@iastate.edu
Barb Abbott, Continuing Education and Communication Services, (515) 294-4843, babbott@iastate.edu

Resist Getting Violent Toys for Presents

AMES, Iowa - Research shows that violent toys and media, especially video games, increase violent thoughts and actions, especially in young children.

"In today's world, anything we can do to reduce violence will be helpful," says Kim Greder, Iowa State University Extension family life specialist.

According to Craig Anderson, ISU professor and chair of psychology, playing a violent video game for as little as 20 minutes causes an increase in aggressive thinking, an increase in aggressive feelings such as anger, an increase in physiological arousal, for example heart rate, an increase in aggressive behavior, and a decrease in prosocial, helping behaviors.

Brad Bushman, ISU associate professor of psychology, says a summary of research findings shows that media violence encourages antisocial behavior, desensitizes children to violence, and increases their perceptions of living in a mean and dangerous world. Also, media violence has a particularly strong impact on young children, who blur fantasy and reality.

Bushman's research reveals there is a stronger relationship between media violence exposure and aggressive behavior than between asbestos and cancer or between calcium intake and bone mass.

Greder cites the following guidelines from Children Now, a child research and action organization, to help parents make video game purchases for their families.

Read more than the ratings. While the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) ratings can be helpful, they do not tell the whole story. Some features that parents may consider too violent or sexual may not be labeled as such by the ESRB. The language on the packaging may give parents a better idea than the ratings of the amount and significance of violence and sexuality.

Rent before buying. Many video rental stores also rent video games and consoles. There is no better way to know what kind of material is featured in a game than to play it.

Talk to other parents. Find out which games other parents like and dislike as well as which games they let visiting children play. This is a good way to learn about the games that children enjoy, games that other parents approve of, and to let other parents know which games are OK with you.

Greder also recommends checking out the Lion and Lamb Project web site at http://www.lionlamb.org for a list of recommended top 20 nonviolent toys and a list of "dirty dozen" violent toys to avoid. Lion and Lamb Project is an advocacy group dedicated to reducing children's exposure to violence.

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