Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.
—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
We must collectively start down the road to reducing children’s media consumption. The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI) is made up of more than three thousand psychologists and scientists interested in applying psychological research to today’s most important social issues. The society’s April 2014 statement begins with references to the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre and concludes with policy recommendations that could be enacted immediately to make great strides toward reversing the effects of video game and media violence.
The society urges policymakers to create and implement a scientifically based media rating system, and underscores that the confusing set of ratings in use today is failing to empower parents to make educated decisions regarding their children’s video game choices. The society also encourages the entertainment industry to develop programs that show alternatives to aggressive behavior and promote prosocial or helping behavior instead.
I wholeheartedly support these recommendations and others like them that have been made for years by concerned scientists, doctors, researchers, parents, and lawmakers. Policy shifts at the highest levels offer the best means of moving our country in a positive direction, but striving toward these top-level changes doesn’t absolve us of personal responsibility in our communities, schools, and homes.
How can we, as individuals, reduce the likelihood of future incidents like the Sandy Hook massacre? As you support the efforts of policymakers on a broader level and help establish the Take the Challenge program in your local community, you can also begin your own family’s journey down this healing path. This chapter’s goal is to help parents, students, and community members reduce overall screen time for anything other than educational purposes.
The data in this book can feel overwhelming. What are parents to do in the face of such a powerful foe? After reviewing the decades of empirical research on the impact of video games on young people, the researchers Craig Anderson, Douglas Gentile, and Katherine Buckley provided powerful reassurance, in their book Violent Video Game Effects on Children and Adolescents, that parents continue to have a huge impact on their children’s development despite the immense influence of the media. They write:
What gives us hope? We found that what happens at home also seems to matter. Children whose parents are more involved in [setting limits on amount and content of games played] were less aggressive in their day-to-day lives (e.g., getting in fights).… Parents are in a powerful position to minimize negative effects of violent video games by limiting the types of games children play and how much time they may play them.
There are several steps parents can take related to their children’s consumption of media that will positively affect their physical health, psychological well-being, progress in school, ability to make and keep friends, and overall enjoyment of life. Reducing a child’s exposure to electronic media at home reduces that child’s chances of smoking cigarettes, using drugs, and drinking alcohol, as well as his or her risk of bullying others or being bullied. Because a number of studies have established that playing violent video games is associated with arguing with authority figures, decreasing a child’s exposure to these games may also foster healthier relationships with parents and teachers. The authors of a 2004 study published in the Journal of Adolescence, “The Effects of Violent Video Game Habits on Adolescent Hostility, Aggressive Behaviors, and School Performance,” reported, “Adolescents who expose themselves to greater amounts of video game violence were more hostile, reported getting into arguments with teachers more frequently, were more likely to be involved in physical fights, and performed more poorly in school.”1
Four steps will help you create a positive media environment for your children. I want to emphasize that there are positive uses of media, including learning technical skills like computer programming, graphic design, and internet research. Sometimes nonviolent movies, television shows, and video games with prosocial messages that model empathy and kindness can be entertaining—but never forget that the best learning for children is still the hands-on, creative free play that is rapidly disappearing in our media-saturated world. The best place to start creating a positive media environment is at home, where you can limit both the amount of time children are allowed to engage with media and the content of the programs. Your children may not like it but, as with many aspects of parenting, if you establish these boundaries, your children will thank you when they are older.
Some will thank you right away. During the ten-day screen-free challenge at an elementary school running the Take the Challenge program, the principal received the following note from a fourth-grade student:
Dear Mrs. P.,
This program makes me feel more responsible. I have time to do my homework and I spend more time with my family. It is so cool. We all laugh together over not so funny things and I love it. Thank you very much!
Zoe
Work with your children to establish a budget for media entertainment, and let your kids know why you are doing so. Dr. Robinson, who pioneered the S.M.A.R.T. curriculum, advises, “Ground rules eliminate arguments. Set them in stone and make sure the babysitter and grandparents know them, too.”
To help you establish your family’s limits, we’ve compiled the following guidelines as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. It’s worth noting, however, that I recommend that a child not be exposed to TV, movies, or video games until that child can read—around age seven. This is the deal I’ve struck with my children for our grandchildren.
• Infants and Toddlers: Children younger than two years of age should have no screen time.2 Zero. The AAP encourages interactive play at this age, when important development and growth are taking place. This can include talking, playing, singing, and reading together. Engage your child in whatever you are doing. If you can’t hold your baby, put him or her in a playpen near you and talk about what you are doing. When you are cooking dinner in the kitchen, give your toddler measuring cups to play with. Let older children help by opening or measuring ingredients. The AAP also encourages unstructured playtime with an adult nearby. Additional excellent research on the impact of media on preschool-aged children can be found in the appendix.
• Children over Two Years of Age: Limit entertainment screen time to less than one or two hours per day.
• School-Aged Children: At this age, your children are old enough to work with you to create their own media budgets. For older children and adolescents, a media budget needs to include all entertainment screen time, including television, video games, movies, computer games, and websites like Facebook. One tactic is to ask your kids to decide which shows they want to watch ahead of time so they can get your approval and feel empowered by making their own decisions. One mother told us that, back in the days before online streaming, her kids would sit down with the TV Guide and spend time planning out their media budget for the week. One day, the boy next door came over and helped her boys plan out their week. The neighbor kid said he wished his parents would ask him to create a budget. He thought it was fun. I don’t know anyone who still picks shows out of the TV Guide these days, but you and your kids can set up your DVR to record only approved shows. There are also sites and apps that provide weekly schedules that you can use for screen budgeting.
At certain times your entire household should be screen-free. One of the easiest ways to decrease media exposure is to make sure that the TV is turned off when no one is actively watching it. Studies have shown that when the TV is left on as background noise, children read less and adults talk less. And don’t forget that TV, movies, and videos are now easily downloaded and watched on tablets and smartphones. When going screen-free or reducing screen time, it’s important to include all devices.
An easy way to cut back on media is to not turn the TV on or play video games in the morning before school. It’s a short amount of time, and since numerous studies show that TV exposure and video games can increase attention problems and decrease higher-level thinking skills, it’s a highly valuable time for children heading off to school.3
Instead of watching TV in the morning, you can fill the time with conversation about your plans for the day. We also like to recommend that parents read the paper copy of the morning newspaper while children read the comics page at breakfast. By sharing this activity, you give your kids a fun way to practice reading skills while you model valuable reading behavior. If you only read the news online or if your paper doesn’t have a comics section, make sure other reading material is available, such as books, comic books, or kids’ magazines. And don’t forget to give your children chores to help get the meal ready and clean up after. At first this may seem inefficient, but you’ll be helping them become more responsible. Before you know it, their help will result in calmer, more enjoyable meals together as a family.
Speaking of family meals, it’s vital to be media-free during this time. Associating the too often sensational evening news or the latest violent show with your meal creates the harmful Pavlovian association of food with human death and suffering. Children and adults tend to consume more calories when they eat while watching TV. And family conversation during mealtime is great for improving relationships and increasing a child’s knowledge base and verbal skills. Leave the TV off when you sit down for dinner.
When considering your family’s total amount of screen time, don’t forget about time spent with smartphones and touch-screen tablets. Research by pediatricians at the Cohen Children’s Medical Center, in New Hyde Park, New York, showed that infants aged zero to three years old who played noneducational games using touch-screen devices had lower verbal scores upon testing.4 These results also showed that, despite parents’ beliefs that these devices provided educational benefit to their children, no statistical difference in development exists between children who play educational games and children who play noneducational games.5
At the outset of your media budget, consider having the whole family go screen-free for a week or ten days, mirroring the Take the Challenge program’s emphasis on screen-free time. Many children and teenagers are addicted to video games. They need time to detox. This break can also help your kids realize that there are things to do besides watching TV or playing video games.
Limiting screen time can have a dramatic effect on your children, particularly if they are struggling in school. After attending one of my presentations, one man eliminated all violent video games from his son’s life and greatly decreased other media use. Shortly thereafter, the boy’s teacher sent him the following email:
I have noticed a significant change in your son last week and want to share that information with you. He seems more alert, interested, and is more responsive to his surroundings both in and out of class. He engages in the lessons, participates, sits up, seems eager to learn and actively takes notes. It appears to me that he has more energy and is more lively. In my opinion, he is a different kid, in a good way!
I mentioned my observations to him and he seemed somewhat embarrassed. I told him I was pleased with what I was seeing. I asked him if something had changed lately that could be responsible for this significant improvement. He indicated that it had to do with spending less time on his video games. Regardless of what has caused this change it is significant in a very good way.
Don’t allow any media in your son or daughter’s bedroom, including TVs, computers, video game consoles, and handheld devices such as smartphones. When children have unlimited, private access to media, parents are less able to monitor consumption, and exposure to violence and sexual content increases. Numerous studies have shown how harmful this can be. Students in one study who had a television in their bedroom showed a greater likelihood of smoking and were introduced to sexual intercourse earlier. They also reported an increase in feelings of loneliness when viewing TV in their bedrooms.6 To keep your children safe and happy, keep the computer and television in a more open place, such as the family room or living room.
Also, it is vital to take your child’s cell phone away when he or she goes to bed at night. Suicide is one of the major killers of teens, and sleep deprivation and bullying are two key factors in suicide. If your child brings a cell phone to bed, that child is probably not getting the sleep he or she needs. Texting, checking social media sites, playing addictive games, downloading porn, or (worst of all) suffering merciless, ceaseless bullying via electronic media can all contribute to thoughts and feelings that lead to suicide. More information on the link between bullying and media can be found in this book’s appendix.
It is essential that you decrease or eliminate consumption of violent media as much as possible, especially violent video games. According to Craig Anderson, director of Iowa State University’s Center for the Study of Violence and a pioneer in research on the effects of video game violence, parents should not rely solely on the industry ratings in evaluating media content. This is especially true for video games.7
One method for evaluating media is to use the “GRAMS” rules. The answer to all of these questions should be no if a game or show is to be considered appropriate for your children:
G–Does it GLORIFY violence? The National Television Violence Study found that the “good guys” are associated with 40 percent of the violence in television. The study also found that 71 percent of violent scenes involve no remorse, criticism, or penalty for the violence.8
R–Does it REINFORCE violence? Violent video games directly reward violent behavior by awarding points for killing or hurting people. Many games, for example, enable the player to advance to the next level when he or she demonstrates violence.
A–If you ADD up total time spent using entertainment media, does it exceed an appropriate level per the guidelines above? Don’t count time spent using the computer for schoolwork.
M–Does it MODEL violence? Hundreds of studies have shown that children imitate what they see in movies, television, and video games, especially if the aggressor is attractive or similar in age, or if the child can identify with the aggressor. This includes cartoon characters.9
S–Does it include SOCIAL or relational violence? Some of the most serious bullying involves social bullying (sometimes referred to as relational or indirect bullying), which involves hurting someone’s reputation or relationships. Examples include leaving someone out of an event or activity on purpose, telling other children not to be friends with someone, spreading rumors about someone, embarrassing someone in public, and cyberbullying.10
Television shows, internet content, and mobile phone applications are effective teaching tools, influencing children and adults to change their behavior. Children are often unaware of underlying messages, however, making them particularly susceptible to manipulation. Media literacy provides kids and adults alike with the ability to access, analyze, and evaluate media, empowering them to make smarter choices for their entertainment options.
To teach your children media literacy, watch portions of cartoons or other shows with them. Discuss the advertisements for unhealthy foods that are geared toward children. How do the advertisers make the food look appealing? What are they doing to target children in particular? Point out the violence in the cartoons themselves. Emphasize the feelings of the victims. Talk about the lack of realism and what the consequences of the characters’ actions would be in real life.
You and your child can keep track of the amount of violence in a cartoon for five minutes, then use the data you collect together to find the cartoon with the least amount of violence. Begin the analysis by identifying physical aggression, then watch again and look for verbal aggression, and then social or relational aggression. Ask “What are these cartoons teaching? What are children learning when they watch them?” Then use these same questions to analyze educational programs. Indeed, even some educational programs feature aggression, especially social aggression. Help your children become researchers who are aware of (and critical of) the tactics of various media so they’ll learn to make educated decisions on their own.
With older students, this type of analysis can become sophisticated. Several studies confirm what the parents of teenagers probably know already: Direct critical comments from parents can backfire. Instead of simply criticizing media, parents can ask questions such as, “What is this movie saying about girls?” or “How would your girlfriend feel if you talked to her that way?” By making media literacy a part of your teenager’s life, you can help your son or daughter become a more informed media consumer.
Approximately 10 percent of students suffer from pathological video game use.11 This addiction has been linked directly with depression, anxiety, and social phobias. Pathological video game players receive lower grades in school, have problems with relationships, and exhibit more aggression.
The most addictive video games now appear to be online games that combine social networking sites with video games, such as the Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games that the UCSB killer loved. This type of game creates an entire virtual world to play in. Within this online environment, which is often violent, players create their own unique characters and can interact with thousands of other players. Because of the all-encompassing, alternate-reality feeling of these games, people who play MMORPGs spend much of their time gaming. World of Warcraft, as an example, has 10 million subscribers who pay $15 a month (totaling $1.8 billion a year) to participate. In 2006, an online study of thirty thousand MMORPG players found the average gamer played 22.71 hours each week, and 70 percent spent at least 10 hours playing continuously in a single sitting. Almost 20 percent of users agreed that their usage had caused them academic, health, financial, or relationship problems. When asked if they considered themselves addicted to MMORPGs, 50 percent of survey respondents said yes.12 The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) produced by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) in 2013, included Internet Gaming Disorder as one of the conditions being studied for possible addition to later DSM editions, but it will be several years before the next edition will be released. If you think your daughter or son may have a video game addiction, the DSM-5 provided nine potential diagnostic criteria you can use to determine if you should seek help: (1) preoccupation with games; (2) withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety or irritability when she or he is unable to play; (3) a need to spend an increasing amount of time playing games to get the same level of enjoyment; (4) unsuccessful attempts to control or limit game playing; (5) loss of interest in previous hobbies; (6) continued use despite knowledge of problem; (7) deceiving family members and/or doctors about game use; (8) use of internet games to escape a negative mood; and (9) has jeopardized or lost a relationship, job, or educational opportunity. To qualify for the disorder, patients must meet at least five of these nine criteria.13
The two most important steps a parent can take to prevent this type of addiction is to limit the amount of time a child or teenager plays video games and to eliminate violent games altogether. Follow the guidelines in this chapter to establish an appropriate amount of time for your children to spend interacting with digital media of any kind. If their media use exceeds these limits, set up a media detox and create a media budget to address the problem. If your son or daughter is exhibiting more severe psychological problems related to gaming, he or she may need counseling.
The research clearly demonstrates that parents play an important role in decreasing their children’s exposure to excessive media and media violence, but even if the parents at Sandy Hook Elementary School had provided a positive media environment for their children, it would not have prevented the tragedy that rocked their community.
The United States has one of the highest levels of violence in the world. In order to end the mass murders, sexual assaults, violent crime, and bullying, we need to implement systemic reforms that have the ability to promote change throughout a community, region, state, and nation.
Even if the Supreme Court had ruled in support of the 2005 California video game law that was struck down, there would still be a need to educate students and their parents about the effects of media violence and excessive media use. With technology proliferating (with a smartphone, you now have access to television, movies, video games, internet gambling, and more 24 hours a day), it’s harder than ever to control children’s access to media. As a result, children must develop self-management skills.
We began this chapter with the SPSSI and its summary of five policy recommendations. Dr. Victor C. Strasburger of the University of New Mexico School of Medicine developed another list of steps this country should take to address the effect of media on our children and adolescents.14 Drawing on these recommendations as well as our own experiences, we would like to offer our top ten list of steps you can take to create positive change.
1. Educate parents and the American public about the harmful effects of media violence on youth and society. The National Institutes of Health and the CDC, as well as various nonprofit foundations and other organizations concerned with the health of our children, should initiate an education campaign. This could be similar to antismoking and healthy eating campaigns. According to Dr. Strasburger, “On a list of 50 things parents are willing to dispute with their children, the media rank at #93. Many parents feel that their kids are ‘safe’ if they are in their living room watching TV or in the bedroom (with a whole variety of media technology usually available to them). Given the power of media effects, nothing could be further from the truth.”
2. Educate children and adolescents about effective media use. Most states require schools to teach health classes that include information about healthy diets, exercise, substance abuse, and bullying. Excessive media use and violent media exposure should be added to this list. When the average student watches more than seven hours of entertainment media a day, we need to encourage the use of scientifically based programs that not only teach students media literacy but also include strategies to help students reduce their exposure to media violence. Dr. Strasburger also emphasizes the importance of involving schools: “Many schools are 10 years behind the times in how they treat media and media issues like sexting and cyberbullying. Often, school officials think that if they have a computer lab, or every student is furnished with an iPad, that the school is keeping up-to-date. Instead, the entire paradigm of teaching and learning needs to change—the emphasis should be placed on teaching young people critical thinking skills, including how to sift through the incredible amount of information available to them at their fingertips.”
3. Push for policy reform. In 2011, the Supreme Court ruled that California’s law preventing minors from buying ultraviolent video games was unconstitutional. However, two of the Supreme Court justices, including both a liberal and a conservative judge, voted against the majority, and two of the justices indicated they might have cast the opposite vote if the case had been presented differently. The Supreme Court has reversed prior decisions. For the mental health of our children and the safety of our society, they must reverse this one.
4. Encourage Congress to pass legislation that would allow states to restrict the sale of violent video games to children. In an article published in Law and Psychology Review, Jonathan Shaub contends: “The First Amendment’s protection for the freedom of speech has never been satisfactorily applied to children in a way that accounts for the significant variance in maturity and vulnerability among different ages of children.”15 When new legislation is being drafted to address this issue, it might make sense to focus initially on protecting children under the age of fourteen from violent media.
5. Support more media research. The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues emphasized the need for more research funding. Dr. Strasburger writes:
It is somewhat astounding to learn that when children and teens now spend more time with media than they do in any other activity except sleeping that more money isn’t being put towards media research. The Federal government funds a few studies on media and tobacco and alcohol use but there is no funding for basic effects research. Private foundations are completely missing in action (Kaiser Family Foundation did a splendid job for many years but dumped their Media and Health section a few years ago with no explanation why).
He also recommends a public health organization super group:
The American Academy of Pediatrics… cannot continue to carry on the mission of educating the public, Federal officials, and funders alone. It should have the cooperation of the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, the American Association for Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, and other medical and public health groups. A super-group would be far more successful in lobbying Congress and in interacting with the entertainment and advertising industries. It might also be successful in placing the topic of children and media in film schools and journalism schools around the country.
6. Protect our children from predatory marketing. I believe in capitalism and that the free market system encourages democracy. However, this does not mean that we cannot place restrictions on advertising aimed toward children. As an adult I have the cognitive maturity to make decisions about an advertised product, but children do not.
7. Push for a scientifically based rating system for media products. The United States has a confusing array of ratings that are created and controlled by the media industry. They are difficult for parents to understand and are not based on scientific research. Standardizing the rating system was the first policy recommendation of the SPSSI. The society advocates tasking an independent, impartial group of media researchers and professionally trained raters with developing and executing a uniform, evidence-based, and parent-friendly rating system. This would be accompanied by public outreach to parents on the importance of using the ratings to determine the appropriateness of different media for children.
8. Encourage the media to promote the development, evaluation, testing, and distribution of more prosocial products (another SPSSI policy recommendation). Research shows that when children watch media that models prosocial behavior (that is, sharing, helping, and including others in activities), they exhibit more of it themselves and learn empathy.16 The SPSSI cites a 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair poll: “84% of Americans believe that depictions of violence in popular culture—through ‘movies and video games’—contribute either ‘some’ or ‘a lot’ to violence in society.” The media industry has the opportunity both to make money and to “do the right thing” by creating programs that teach or model prosocial behaviors instead of aggressive behaviors. Dr. Strasburger emphasizes: “It’s time to establish an ongoing dialogue about how prosocial media can be maximized and negative effects can be minimized without treading on anyone’s First Amendment rights.”
9. Encourage your family’s physicians and teachers to get educated. This is one of the steps identified by Dr. Strasburger. “Many physicians still do not understand very much about media effects or take the time to counsel their patients. Teaching medical students and young physicians about media use and media effects is vital and should be a part of every medical school curriculum and every residency training program. National continuing education programs should highlight media issues (as should teacher training programs).”
10. Fight against media consolidation. In the 1980s the number of broadcast stations was greatly reduced, allowing media to be controlled by fewer and ever more powerful companies. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 represented a major change in regulation and for the first time allowed for the existence of multimedia conglomerates. As a project by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology noted, “There has never been a greater need for media literacy education. As mergers and monopolies in the communication industry increase, control of programming is more and more centralized. What is frightening is that fewer and fewer companies control all forms of media: books, films, television, and magazines. A company such as Viacom or Disney can be the gatekeeper to many media formats.”17 It is ironic that, in a country where freedom of the press is so highly valued, we allowed our airwaves to become controlled by a handful of megacorporations.
If we take these ten steps together, we can start to create positive change across the United States and set an example for countries around the world.