Media Violence | Introduction

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Media Violence - Introduction

Postal 2 The debate over media violence has eluded definitive answers for more than three decades. At first blush, the debate is dominated by one question—whether or not media violence actually causes real-life violence. But closer examination reveals a political battle. On the one hand, there are those who blame media violence for societal violence and want to censor violent content to protect children. On the other hand are those who see regulation as the slippery slope to censorship or a smokescreen hiding the root causes of violence in society.

One thing is certain: the issue of media violence is not going away. Increasingly the debate is focusing on the "culture of violence," and on the normalization of aggression and lack of empathy in our society.

This section describes how the depiction of violence is evolving in a number of media formats. It analyses how, and why, violence is used by the entertainment and information industries. It offers an overview of research findings, an outline of government responses to the issue, and a look at some of the key arguments in the debate. It also explores the role that media education can play in helping young people to put media violence into perspective.

Throughout the section, there are links to seminal articles, reports and surveys on the issue.

Violence in Media Entertainment

A snapshot of how violence is used in movies, television, music videos, video games and web sites

The Business of Media Violence

How market forces promote increasingly violent media imagery

Research on the Effects of Media Violence

An overview of the scientific research on the effect of media violence on children

Media Violence Debates

The arguments for and against regulating media violence

Government and Industry Responses to Media Violence

Canadian government and industry initiatives to limit television violence, and an overview of Canadian ratings for films and videos

Media Education and Media Violence

How media education can help kids to put media violence into perspective and diffuse some of its power