A new study shows that boys who are exposed to violent screen time during their preschool years are more likely to become antisocial and violent by adolescence. “Although previous studies have shown that exposure to violent role models and rewards for aggressive behaviour can have an immediate effect on aggression levels in four-year-olds, few have explored their long-term consequences,” explains Linda Pagani, the study’s author and a professor at the school of psychoeducation at Université de Montréal (UdeM). Pagani, who is also a researcher at the Sainte-Justine Hospital’s Azrieli research centre, says her team specifically targeted middle-class children, “as this group is statistically less likely to display aggressive or harmful behaviours towards others, making them an ideal population to examine this issue.” The study, published on Monday, highlights the long-term risks associated with early exposure to violent content and the likelihood that it could later lead to antisocial behaviour. In total, 963 girls and 982 boys, born between 1997 and 1998 and part of Quebec’s longitudinal study on child development, participated in the project over an 11-year period. Initially, parents reported the frequency of exposure to violent television at ages 3.5 and 4.5. When the children reached the age of 15, they answered questions themselves about antisocial behaviour. Pagani and her team define screen violence as any physical or verbal aggression in situations where the protagonist intentionally attempts to hurt others. According to the study, “children are attracted to violent content that is fast-paced and stimulating, often featuring attractive characters like superheroes who perform aggressive actions and are then rewarded.” The research team then analyzed whether exposure at a young age was predictive of how the children acted 11 years later. “We statistically took into account other factors concerning the child and his or her family that could explain our results to ensure the accuracy of the findings,” said Pagani. In boys only, Pagani says her team found that exposure to violent content in early childhood was associated with an increase in antisocial behaviour by age 15. This manifested in aggressive actions, such as hitting or beating another person with the intention of stealing or taking advantage of them, using threats and insults, participating in fights and wielding weapons. Contrarily, these behaviours were not observed in girls. “Our study provides convincing evidence that young children’s exposure to media violence can have serious and lasting consequences, particularly for boys,” said Pagani. “It also demonstrates the urgent need for public health prevention campaigns to make parents and communities aware of the long-term risks of exposure.” The study was carried out in collaboration with scientists from Canada, the U.S. and Italy.
