Impacts of Violent Video Games on Child Behavior

Question: Can playing a violent video game make my child more aggressive or violent? 

Answer: This is an interesting question. Many parents wonder if playing violent video games can make kids more aggressive. The short answer is yes; research has found links between playing violent video games and aggressive behaviors in children and teens. The research isn’t clear, though, on why this is or whether playing a violent video game can be the main reason a child is aggressive. Being exposed to violent video games is likely just one of many different factors that affect a child’s behavior. 

What the research says

• Some studies found that kids who were exposed to violent video games were more violent. This link seemed to be strongest for young teens around age 14. 
• The American Psychological Association brought together a task force on this topic that found something similar – kids who played violent video games seemed to be more aggressive. It’s not clear whether there’s a dose-response relationship; meaning, whether kids who play violent video games very frequently have more aggression than kids who play them only occasionally. 
• Another review found that playing violent video games causes players to be more aggressive and makes them less likely to do things that benefit other people, like volunteering or doing acts of kindness. 
• Even when kids were exposed to violent video games for only a short period of time, researchers found they were more likely to have unsafe behaviors around guns, like picking up a disabled handgun and pulling the trigger. 
• Different features of the game itself, like whether players are playing on a team versus competing against each other, and whether the video game is interactive, can also have an impact. In fact, one researcher found that kids who were on the same “team” in a video game were more likely to be kind, even if they were playing a violent video game. 
• Children and teens who are aggressive are more likely to enjoy playing violent video games. 

But video games are just one piece of the puzzle. Many things can influence a child or teen’s behavior, including individual experiences such as arguments at home, bullying at school, or witnessing community violence. 

What Parents Can Do

• Review the 5 C’s of Media Use. The 5 Cs can help you think through what media, including video games, are appropriate for your child. Pay special attention to: 
  • Content. Research the video games that your child is interested in playing ahead of time to learn more about what is in them. Common Sense Media is a useful tool that provides detailed video game reviews and ratings. 
  • Calm. Does your child use video games as a way to wind down after school or to relax on weekends? If so, does the content of the video game help them to calm down and lower stress or does it actually hype them up and make them more anxious? Look through the Calm Toolbox together to identify activities that can help them relieve stress other than video games. 
  • Communication. Talk to your child. Discuss what kinds of content they see in the games they play. Ask them how what they’re playing makes them feel. Encourage them to come to you with questions or concerns. 
• Use the AAP Family Media Plan. This tool can help you set boundaries and guidelines around what kinds of media your child can use and when. Work together to complete the Family Media Plan to identify when and where your child can play video games and what types of games they can play. 
• Read this HealthyChildren article about how to choose video games, set limits, and protect your kids. 

References 

• Burkhardt, Johanna & Lenhard, Wolfgang. (2021). A meta-analysis on the longitudinal, age-dependent effects of violent video games on aggression. Media Psychology. 25(2). 10.1080/15213269.2021.1980729. 
• Calvert, S. L., Appelbaum, M., Dodge, K. A., Graham, S., Nagayama Hall, G. C., Hamby, S., Fasig-Caldwell, L. G., Citkowicz, M., Galloway, D. P., & Hedges, L. V. (2017). The American Psychological Association Task Force assessment of violent video games: Science in the service of public interest. American Psychologist, 72(2), 126–143.  
• Chang, J. H., & Bushman, B. J. (2019). Effect of exposure to gun violence in video games on children’s dangerous behavior with real guns. JAMA Network Open, 2(5), e194319.  
• Does exposure to violent movies or video games make kids more aggressive? (2020, June 4).   
• Greitemeyer, T., & Mügge, D.O. (2014). Video games do affect social outcomes: A meta-analytic review of the effects of violent and prosocial video game play. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 40(5), 578.589.  
• Hilgard, J., Engelhardt, C. R., & Rouder, J. N. (2017). Overstated evidence for short-term effects of violent games on affect and behavior: A reanalysis of Anderson et al. (2010). Psychological Bulletin, 143(7), 757–774.  
• Hilgard, J., Engelhardt, C. R., Rouder, J. N., Segert, I. L., & Bartholow, B. D. (2019). Null Effects of Game Violence, Game Difficulty, and 2D:4D Digit Ratio on Aggressive Behavior. Psychological Science, 30(4), 606–616.  
• Riddle, K., Tay, S. K., & Wu, J. (2019). “It Lets Me Fight the Bad Guys”: An Exploration Into the Factors Predicting Enjoyment of Violent Video Games. Communication Studies, 70(1), 36–58.  
• Smith, S., Ferguson, C., & Beaver, K. (2018). A longitudinal analysis of shooter games and their relationship with conduct disorder and self-reported delinquency. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 58, 48–53.  
• Velez, J. A., Mahood, C., Ewoldsen, D. R., & Moyer-Gusé, E. (2014). Ingroup versus outgroup conflict in the context of violent video game play: The effect of cooperation on increased helping and decreased aggression. Communication Research, 41(5), 607–626.  
• Weber, R., Behr, K. M., Fisher, J. T., Lonergan, C., & Quebral, C. (2020). Video game violence and interactivity: Effect or equivalence? Journal of Communication, 70(2), 219–244.  

Age: 10-21 

Keywords: violence, video games, adolescents  

Role: Parents