FFFScreen Violence and Children

No. 13; Updated June 2025

American children spend an average of seven to eight hours per day viewing screen entertainment. Videos and programs can be a powerful influence in developing value systems and shaping behavior. Unfortunately, much of contemporary television programming features violence. Hundreds of studies of the effects of screen violence on children and teenagers have found that children may:

Extensive viewing of screen violence by children causes greater aggressiveness. Sometimes, watching a single violent program can cause aggression. Children who view videos in which violence is very realistic, frequently repeated or unpunished, are more likely to imitate what they see. Children with emotional, behavioral, learning or impulse control problems may be more easily influenced by screen violence. The impact of violent videos may show immediately in the child's behavior or may surface years later. Young people can be affected even when their home life shows no tendency toward violence.

While screen violence is not the only cause of aggressive or violent behavior, it is clearly a significant factor. Parents can protect children from excessive TV violence in the following ways:

  • Have younger children watch programing on a television set rather than a tablet or phone, and not in their bedroom, so that you can monitor what they watch
  • Pay attention to the programs their children are watching and watch some with them • Set limits on the amount of time they spend with the television; consider removing the TV set from the child's bedroom
  • Point out that although the actor has not actually been hurt or killed, such violence in real life results in pain or death
  • Restrict children from watching videos known to be violent, and stop any video when offensive material comes on, with an explanation of what is wrong with the program
  • Show children that you disapprove of violence, stressing the belief that such behavior is not the best way to handle a problem
  • Help with peer pressure among friends and classmates by contacting other parents and agreeing to enforce similar rules about the amount of screen time and type of program the children may watch

Parents can also use these measures to prevent other harmful content from videos such as racial or sexual stereotyping. The amount of time children spend on screens, regardless of content, should be moderated because it decreases time spent on more beneficial activities such as reading, playing with friends, and developing hobbies. If parents have serious difficulties setting limits, or have ongoing concerns about their child's behavior, they should contact a child and adolescent psychiatrist or a mental health provider for consultation and assistance.

Related Facts For Families:

Links: