There is evidence that it does. A 1987 study noted that the more violent the programs children watch at age one, the more aggressive they tend to be at age 19, and the more serious the crimes for which they are convicted at age 30. And since then, both the quantity of violent films and games and the intensity of the violence in them has increased. Anecdotally, we all know kids who play violent video games and watch violent movies but clearly are not about to commit rape, murder, or even shoplift a chocolate bar. The critical factor differentiating those who will be affected from those who won t appears to lie in the way children are raised, beginning with their earliest experiences.
Recent research shows violence in the home shapes young lives from the earliest months of life.
Stress hormones too frequently released in the infant brain by even the sounds of violence can cause neurological damage that predispose the growing child to react violently to stimuli from sources such as violent video games. This continues throughout childhood. A 1995 study showed that the children most likely to be swayed to violence by violent entertainment are those who have difficulty distinguishing fact from fiction because of the violence in their daily lives. Research suggests not. Stuart Hart, Director of the Office for the Study of the Psychological Rights of the Child at Purdue University, has observed that psychological maltreatment is a stronger predictor than physical or sexual abuse of violent outcomes in an individual s life.